Remnants in smouldered Ashes
by Effenay
Summary: "It was an all too familiar scene; after the loss of someone they cared about, the first instinct one would find doing was embodying the habits of those who leave them behind. To Tsunemori, it was Kougami." Ginoza point of view as he sees remnants Kougami's shadow in his superior Tsunemori.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes**

**This was the very first fanfic I've ever written that I posted on A03. I don't know if I will ever get the chance to re-edit this work, but for now, I'm posting finished pieces into this site. So any typos, all that weird wording is simply a testament to how much I've grown as a writer. I chose not to edit it out as a means to remind myself of where I was.**

**It's merely a strange coincidence with Psycho-Pass 3 airing at such a time like this. No doubt the canon has gone far off in this fic at this point. But hey, enough of my talk. Enjoy this clunky ride of a fic.**

In those quiet moments in their late-night shifts together, his eyes would shift from the desk to his right then towards the doe-eyed inspector. At first, he would expect to find her eyes fall towards his direction, only to then realize her gaze had slightly lowered to the desk where Kougami had once worked in. Initially, she would swiftly change her line of sight in those brief moments of eye-contact, giving him a curt nod and shifted her attention back to her screen. He didn't need a detective's intuition to figure out the reason for this. He knew this and she wasn't aware of it half the time.

It was only three weeks after he became an enforcer did Ginoza takes notice of a feint scent tobacco that lingered whenever she was nearby. It took him less than a week later to find out what it was. He decided not to inquire if she had been smoking, much less on the question of why. It was an all too familiar scene; after the loss of someone they cared about, the first instinct one would find doing was embodying the habits of those who leave them behind. To Kougami, it was Sasayama. To Tsunemori, it was Kougami. To Ginoza it was his father. His eyes lingered at the familiar sight of a light shade of blue bulging out of her pocket. The inspector, in turn, didn't meet his gaze, her eyes focused on the task at hand.

After a good eight months, it was already established with how things work in the new Division 1. It became clear to both Ginoza and Kunizuka where Tsunemori's priorities lie. Her ideals, her values, her determination could be seen by the way she handled case after case. Each time they were faced with an unforeseeable circumstance, the once naïve inspector would be the first to find an alternative whenever they were in a bind. The first time it happened, it scared the hell out of him. She was still as reckless as ever, but once in a while, she would assure him it was going to be alright. There were moments too where it sent him over the edge, bringing out remnants of his old self as he would reprimand her at the risks she took to close the case.

"Ginoza-san," she said once after he said his piece. "Thank you for worrying about me but it's going to be alright."

That was all it took to realize how protective he was towards his reckless superior. His therapist himself had to define it for him after he had expressed his concerns about Tsunemori's lack of regard for herself. He chuckled at the notion that perhaps he was falling for his former kohai; the 8-year gap between them was one thing, but he knew that if it were the case, he wouldn't be able to compete with a ghost that lingered between them.

After a full year and a half did he resign himself into following her methods; by this time he knew it was a fool's errand to even try to stop her. However, his faith in her safety would once again waver after Aoyanagi Risa's death. A friend, and a colleague who entered the CID at the same time as him and Kougami. The sight of her wrist-link bloodied by her insides left him paralysed in the crime scene. In the corner of his eye Tsunemori watched him slump to one of the benches at the crime scene as the little drones collected the evidence. An inspector from Division 3 was about to reprimand him for not doing his job, only to have the petite inspector shake her head to leave him be. Ginoza had later presumed it was her way of giving comfort as she had given everyone, including the new inspector Shimotsuki Mika a break from all the hell they had witnessed.

The first time he saw Kougami's silhouette in Tsunemori was over a year ago during the Makishima case. The second time he saw his friend's ghost in her was during that fateful night during the arrest of Kuwashima. A box that shone green in the flickering lights of the fires was casually presented before her. Without question, she grabbed it from the suspect's hand. From where Ginoza stood, his line of sight shifted to his superior the very moment she twitched at the contents. A shadow loomed over her eyes for a split second as her face slowly contort itself into fury.

"What did you do?!" she grabbed Kuwashima by the tie.

A flash of Kougami's face mirrored that of Tsunemori Akane.

"Tsunemori!"

Ginoza abandoned his position and hastened towards her.

"What did you do?!" she cried out once again.

With his prosthetic arm, he immediately slung it over her body, holding her back as she flailed her arms in protest, her fingers curled as if she were about to claw at the man before her. Ginoza grabbed the box from her grip and signalled Kunizuka to take it from him.

As soon as his fellow enforcer grabbed it from him, Ginoza rested his flesh hand on the inspector's shoulder; his eyes locked onto her movements until-

"Tsunemori…Aoi…"

Kunizuka gaped at the box that revealed an ear of Tsunemori's grandmother.

Ginoza's eyes widened at the revelation, in his arms, the small woman's shoulders heaved erratically.

He signalled Kunizuka to bring Kuwashima into the wagon as he urged the rest of the enforcers to enter the wagon. He made a mental note that it was apparent that Shimostuki wasn't in the best condition to take charge. She was far too young to be exposed to such brutality.

"Tsunemori."

He began not long after Kuwashima was out of Tsunemori's sight. His flesh right hand felt the little tremors on her shoulders as her breathing continued to tether in her seething rage. He gave a gentle squeeze on her shoulder, despite knowing it won't be enough to quell the fires that burned in her eyes. The words he could have said, or the words he wished to say in hopes of calming her down; nothing came out, other than her name. As he knew that whatever words he'd say wouldn't be enough.

Her back that was once arched straightened in his arms not long after, he loosens his arms around her and took a step back. He opened his mouth, wanting to ask if she was alright, but he knew she was anything but alright.

"We're going back," she finally said, her eyes fixed towards the unknown.

She walked past him, in his view he saw her hand slip into the pocket where that familiar light blue pack of spinel cigarettes would usually be resting.

As the night had moored into midnight, it became increasingly clear that they have no other choice but to pursue Kamui once and for all. In pursuit of the criminal, the remaining members of Division 3 and Division 1 found a channel that was located not far off from where the trains were designated. An order was declared that Tsunemori Akane had disobeyed orders and should be detained. As the teams followed the long passageway, they were greeted by the sounds of echoing footsteps that trailed from a not so far off distance. The drones were in position, blocking the passageway as blinding lights glared at the figure before them.

"Tsunemori Akane! I have been informed that your rights as an inspector is rescinded for disobeying orders." the Divison 3 inspector began, "Do not resist and put your hands behind your–"

"Don't!"

Ginoza and Hinakawa were the first to intervene. Hinakawa quickly displayed on his wrist-link that Shepheard 1 of Division 1 had her rights reinstated.

"Tell me, what colour am I now?"

He knew that look in her eyes. Have I made the right choice? Her eyes spoke to him, asking to be judged by the hands of her subordinates. His grip tightened on the dominator in hand, his eyes fixed on the look on her face.

After a reading from the dominator scan, he sighed a little with a small smile on his face.

"Clear as crystal."

Due to the large number of arrests they made on that night, the paddy wagons were filled with both criminals and enforcers alike. Tsunemori offered a ride to Ginoza. He willingly accepts. After a report was made by her fellow inspector, her eyes gazed into the distance as she reclined on her seat. She turned to the passenger's seat, seemingly apologetic as she hesitated to speak.

"It's alright if you don't want to talk about it," Ginoza said.

He knew that if he had the chance to get her to open up to him, this would be it. Instead, he drew the line, as he had always done since he worked as an enforcer. But at the same time, he was aware of the indescribable burden on her shoulders, her expression was the same look she gave him and his father when they were in the hyper-oats factory.

"When you're willing to talk, I'll listen," he quickly added.

With those words, small tears fell from the corner of her eyes. The sight of it took him back a little and hesitantly reached for her hand and squeezed a little in his grip. A mere second later he released it. Tsunemori, in turn, sniffled once or twice, she wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled at him. He could not distinguish if it was her way of thanking him or apologetic at the ruse she made back there.

Without another word, she started the car and drove towards the tower.


	2. Chapter 2

Oddly enough, as a couple of months passed after Kamui's rebellion, it became apparent whenever she was faced with a problem she couldn't solve, she would light a cigarette. She would later come back to the office from a short break, the familiar scent of burned tobacco fresh on her clothes. Each time he happened to witness this little habit, the idea in itself was likened to that each time he lit incense in his father's grave.

On the night before the anniversary of Masaoka's passing, Tsunemori contacted him via wrist-link.

"Is something wrong, Tsunemori?"

Ginoza had just locked Dime's cage at this time of the night.

"…Tomorrow, if you are not too busy… is it alright if… we could visit Masaoka-san a little earlier than the usual time?"

Judging by her request, it was either something came up or that she hadn't finished the paperwork from their latest cases.

"No, it's fine. If anything, I'm the one who's been troubling you, making you drive me to his grave every year."

"You haven't troubled me one bit, Ginoza-san. Thank you."

On the hollow-screen in his wrist-link, her face looked as though she had something else to say.

"…If it isn't too much trouble," she finally said, "I'll pick you up from your place, if that's fine."

"I'm fine with that."

"Hm. Okay. I'll see you tomorrow then. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

After the hollow screen dissolved from his view, he sighed as he reclined on his seat. Since that night of Kamui's disposal, she no longer wavered in the line of duty, as though hardened by the incident to a point where nothing fazes her. Although she had remained hesitant to pull the trigger on criminals who had a higher crime coefficient over 300, her confidence in her judgement had become clearer than it was just a few months back.

Seeing her unwavering against the grain, made him proud to be working under her. In those moments on the field, he would often forget it had been almost two years since she had first begun. He could no longer see her as a child.

Perhaps, he would often ponder, what his father would say in those moments. He then moved from his seat and collected a glass and a bottle from his father's collection. After settling the items onto the coffee table he settled down on his seat and poured some of the contents of the bottle into the glass.

As he sipped the scotch, he thought about what would have happened had Masaoka survived the Makishima ordeal. Would he have been more or less unforgiving towards himself for falling into the same path as his father? Would his father have been ashamed or saddened at the outcome? Ginoza had already felt that it was almost as if it was inevitable that his psycho pass would rise without a chance of recovery. Yet even back then in his days as an inspector, he saw a light in his former kohai; giving him hope that everything is determined by the way you see things in perspective.

"Had it not been for your words," he muttered, _it would have been more difficult to overcome everything that had happened on that day._

* * *

In the morning after he had just finished his morning ritual, he received a notification that Inspector Tsunemori had just arrived.

Ginoza opened the door, seeing his superior standing before him.

"Good morning Ginoza-san," she greeted in her usual polite smile.

"Good morning."

"Are you ready to leave?"

Ginoza turned to the stairway.

"I just need to grab one thing and we can go. You can come inside while you wait."

As he walked towards the table to grab the bottle of scotch he opened last night, Tsunemori eyed the photographs on display.

"Ginoza-san," she began.

"Yes?"

"Did Masaoka-san… ever tell you about how things work in the police department back in the days before Sybil?"

Ginoza paused and eyed her dubiously.

"Was this the reason why you wanted to visit my father early?"

She nodded without any hesitation.

He gave out a long sigh as he tried to recount the fragments of his childhood.

"I can't say that he told me a lot of things," he began, "He never said much about his line of work before he was demoted."

"I see."

Her eyes down-casted in clear disappointment.

"Is there any particular reason for this?"

She looked at him in the eye.

"It became clear to me that we've encountered too many cases where the criminals we face are involved with the underground activity. Three times, we saw how they brought harm to civilians yet managed to slip passed the cymatic scans.

Ginoza nodded, knowing which cases she referred to as she continued.

"Masaoka-san once mentioned that before the days of Sybil, there were many crime lords back then and that they did their businesses behind closed doors away from the eyes of the authority. I was hoping if Masaoka-san had mentioned any methods he used back then to catch these criminals or to get information where their hideout might be."

"You do realize the risks in following those methods could only cloud your Psycho-Pass, don't you?" Ginoza deadpanned at that last part.

"I know about the risks, Ginoza-san, but people like Makshima Shogo and Kamui Kirito have always had the upper hand in supporting criminals who commit crimes behind closed doors. We are always one step behind them; to prevent a severe amount of casualties, I need to at least have something in order to dampen the number of damages."

Ginoza opened his mouth, only to close it shut. He understood her concerns; he could see the frustrations of being unable to stop a disaster from taking place. He knows this, but the consequences have always been laid out before him by those around him; even himself.

_"__Missy was able to remain clear with Saiga Joji, I'm more than certain she'll be able to handle a little trick or two."_

His father would have said something like that towards her request.

_But even so–_

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Tsunemori, unfortunately, Dad hadn't even shared the details of the cases he worked on back then. Much less on the methods he used."

With those words, her eyelids lowered in clear disappointment.

A fragment of his childhood flashed in his mind.

"But I do recall where there were cases that involved taking information from other places other than the database. There was a time when Dad brought me to a safe house, he once mentioned about relying on an information broker. I don't know any other details other than that."*

With those words, her eyes lit up.

"An information broker, huh?" she muttered to herself.

A moment of silence filled the room as the inspector appeared to be deep in her thoughts. At times like these he would once again worry of the possibly dangerous thoughts she would come up with whenever she held that pondering expression of hers.

"Tsunemori?"

"Ah, sorry," she shook her head, "I shouldn't be asking you about these things on the day of Masaoka's anniversary."

"It's alright," he replied.

"So, shall we go?"

Ginoza raised the paper bag that held the scotch in his hands.

"I'm all set."

* * *

Upon their arrival, Tsunemori held a bouquet as she followed him to Masaoka's grave. It was odd to Ginoza at first, but then he remembered that she had asked of him to visit his father earlier than their usual time. He then assumed that she might have often visited his grave around this time of the day.

Neither of them spoke at first as they reached the grave. Ginoza nodded to the inspector, giving her a silent consent to lay the bouquet on his grave. She nodded in turn as she laid it before the grave.

"I'll leave you two alone," she said after she had silently paid her respects.

He returned her words with a smile.

As soon as she disappeared from his view, he bent down on one knee before the grave.

"Hi, Dad. I know that you'd probably think it's a waste having to bring you another bottle over for two anniversaries in a row. Don't worry, I've already had my share last night, so I'm giving you your half."

He placed the bottle beside the other two bottles from his previous visits.

"Things have been chaotic over the past few months. Tsunemori… ever since that time, she's become more and more…"

_More what?_ He posed the question on himself. What does Ginoza Noubuchika see in her? The pillar of hope who could prove that things can still become better? The only person left in his life whom he could trust? His equal? A friend? He was almost certain that she was anyone but a lover.

He then recalled in those moments where he saw the silhouette of Kougami Shinya in her. He couldn't truly say that she had become more like Kougami. However, he knows and she may not have noticed that her opening up to her other teammates have become scarce lately. Tougane Sakuya made her warm up to him as he had found a way to do so; but after finding out what he had done, Ginoza wouldn't be so surprised if she closed herself even further with the sudden revelation.

If he had been more like Kougami, perhaps she wouldn't have been more closed-off than she is now.

The very thought of it made him come to his senses. _Since when have I considered something as stupid as that?_

"Tsunemori has become more and more reliable as an inspector. Each time her intuition was correct, it makes me feel proud to be working with her."

He could already imagine what his father would have done. First, he'd laugh, then possibly jeer at his denial of wanting to be someone who could unload the burden off her shoulders. Even if it meant considering the possibility of being someone like his former colleague.

"There's no way I would do such a thing," he immediately said aloud, "giving her something that could make her want someone who isn't there. It's cruel. The only thing I can do is to trust her."

His gaze then followed the set of keys before the gravestone._ The safe house…_

"…Dad. There's something I want to ask you. If I recall correctly, back when you took me to that safe house, you held a diary that held some of your old contacts. If it's alright with you, I want to give it to Tsunemori. I know it's just my assumption to think that you'd agree to let her have it, but I believe that you wouldn't hesitate if it's for inspector Tsunemori."

The image of his old man smiling at his request came to mind.

_"__Go ahead,"_ Ginoza would assume his father would have said something like that.

"Well, I'll be off."

His eyes were still fixed on the keys.

"Sorry, dad. But it looks like I'll be needing these."

Ginoza took the keys from the grave and stood up.

As he walked away, he thought about what Tsunemori had said earlier in the morning. It wasn't just Kougami whom she had learned from. The fact that his father had some part of it became clear by the way she interacted with him. After all, it was his father who tried to tell him that not all cases can easily be dealt with by following the rule of conduct. It took him that long to fully realize what he had meant. The fact that Tsunemori had begun to consider using the old methods in solving crimes was probably due to Masaoka's stories of his days as a detective before Sybil.

Before he knew it, he was already at a distance where he could see the inspector leaning against the vehicle.

"Sorry for the wait, did I take too long?"

She blinked as though she awoke from a daze and shook her head.

"No, it's fine. Did you two have a good chat?"

Ginoza gave a long stare and said nothing.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"…I had long thought about what you said earlier. If I recall correctly, my father had a work diary that held a long list of contacts. You might find something that could still be of use."

Her eyes widened as her small mouth opened a little.

"Is that alright?" she said in her usual polite manner. "Is it alright to hand over your father's diary over to me?"

"It's fine… However, the only problem is that it's in a safe house. Rather, I can't give you any guarantees that it might still be there."

Tsunemori's gaze then drifted off somewhere at first, then returned to meet his gaze.

"Ginoza-san, I know I can't trouble you anymore than this, but could you tell me where I could find this safe house you spoke of?"  
He smiled at her request, just as he had predicted she would.

"Of course, it would be a pleasure."

**Chapter End Notes**

***I acknowledged the little details of what the movie had given us as well as some of the translation extracts from the movie novel (translated by cleverwolfpoetry) that it was apparent that Akane had been relying on an information broker in between S2 and the movie on specific cases that involve the black market. So judging from the info broker's appearance in the movie, he would have been in the same generation as Masaoka for the most part. I did a little sneak move to say that it was through Ginoza did he provide Masaoka's old contact list to Akane which may or may not have explained as to how she was able to find and rely on this information broker.**


	3. Chapter 3

"Is this it?"

Tsunemori opened the car door and stood out of the vehicle.

"… It's a lot smaller than I remembered."

Ginoza was bemused at how time had taken its toll on its surrounding environment as he stepped out of the car. The smell of the abandoned harbour, the worn-down buildings along with the abandoned infrastructure that stood in the waters like abandoned watch-towers.

"The safe house is just right ahead."

He pointed at the small building.

"Back when dad worked in the Metropolitan Police department, he had it built-in case there was an emergency."

"I never thought places like this had ever existed," the inspector gave the same bemused look at the surroundings.

The two strode towards the old building, its exterior resembled that of an abandoned shop as its only entrance was a garage door. By the time the two stood before its entrance, Ginoza slipped his hand into his pocket and grabbed the keys. After turning the key into its slot, wordlessly, he hauled the garage door open. The first thing they saw was an old, red 21st-century car along with shelves filled with tools and the endless amount of objects that the enforcer hadn't seen for so long.

Oddly enough, the place didn't appear to have worn down its interior despite the many years without its residence. Ginoza gestured for Tsunemori to come inside, leading the way towards the stairs. When they reached the second floor, a wave of nostalgia hit him at the sight of where everything was put into its place.

"This sure does bring back memories," he smirked at the thought. "My father's desk is right over there."

He gestured to a table, only then realize some objects had been left scattered on the surface of the wood. They were cleaning tools his father had once used to clean the revolver back when Ginoza had temporarily resided in the safe house.

"Ginoza-san?"

"…Its nothing," he said, smiling sadly.

_Kougami was here._

Without a doubt, he had known that the weapon Kougami held was Masaoka's. Before he could entertain the thought any further, Ginoza opened the study drawer, revealing pocket-sized books as well as old biro pens and other little items he didn't bother noting on. His gaze then eyed a leather-bound notebook with a button clasp on its side.

"This might be it," he grabbed the notebook as he pried the clasp open.

He then realize how Tsunemori hadn't spoken a lot after their arrival; he turned to meet her gaze, only to be met with a familiar, curious look that he hadn't seen in almost two years. Their eyes met briefly, in response, he gave a curt smile as he turned back to the notebook to inspect the contents.

Dates, schedules, timetables, notes and contacts. He smirked as he was right on the money.

"I was right, this would have to be it.

He handed over the leather book to the inspector.

"I cannot give you any guarantees if it has any use to you since this is the first time I've seen it, but I hope you could find some use to it."

"No," Tsunemori began, "I cannot thank you enough for going through all the trouble of having to get this for me."

She paused for a moment and looked at him.

"May I?"

She had meant to look inside the diary. He nodded at her request. Having sat down on a sofa in the room, she immediately went to work on scanning the contents of the diary. Ginoza, on the other hand, was amused at the familiar enthusiasm she wore on her face. The learned, innocent look on her had become a rarity on his part after the Makshima case. More so after the Kamui case.

"Aren't you going to sit down?"

She gestured to the vacant spot next to her. With that notion, he snapped back to reality as he reluctantly took the seat next to her.

"From what I've seen so far, Masaoka-san is thorough in his line of work." She amused at the amount of writing that filled every page. "Almost all of the timeslots in every page were filled."

"It's to be expected," Ginoza agreed, "It's unfortunate that his dedication towards his career led to his demotion."

Tsunemori didn't respond to his words but only gave him a look that he assumed was her way of telling him she understood the sentiments in his words.

After she flicked to the next page, revealing a sketch of a map with unfamiliar street names.

"This is…?"

Ginoza leaned in to have a better look at the page. Tsunemori lifted the diary between them, allowing both of them to see the map on an equal perspective. He noted on the markers that were made on the small map, particularly the large asterisk on the edge of the sketch.

"This district… it's not too far from here, isn't it?"

Tsunemori pointed out on the note that Masaoka had written on the corner of the page.  
Ginoza didn't say a word until he realized what area specifically the map was pointing towards.

"… Tsunemori… I'm afraid that you might have to reconsider going there."

"Why not?"

Hesitantly, he answered.

"…It's a soapland…"*

Tsunemori opened her mouth slightly as she was taken aback. Ginoza palmed his face with his gloved hand at the thought of the possible reasons as to why his father had drawn a map located in such a location.

"…Why would Masaoka-san write down this specific location?"

Ginoza sighed exasperatingly.

"To be honest, I don't think I would want to know."

"…I-I'm sure that Masaoka-san might have some other reason why he would have come to that place…"

The way she strung her words in such an innocent manner made him slightly guilty at the assumption that perhaps his father would have done something dishonourable to the family. With his bionic hand still palming his face, his eyes flickered to her direction. She was clearly troubled by his reaction more than the possible facts that had laid before them.

"Sorry," he sighed once more. "Maybe I am overthinking things."

If there was anything that would trouble him more, it would be having he becomes the cause of her worries.

Tsunemori, in turn, returned to the page with the map, seemingly hopeful to prove to him that his father was innocent. Ginoza thought she didn't need to since he acknowledged that he had overreacted.

As though enlightened by an idea, the inspector raised to her wrist-link and scanned the location of the map. The holo-screen showed no signs of cymatic scans in that district as there were little to no images of the area where the asterisk was located. However, one image revealed an alleyway rather than an entrance to a shop or house.

"Ginoza-san, I think that this mark might be referring to something like a meet-up."

She raised her wrist-link towards him.

His bionic hand lifted from his face as he leaned in closer to the image. There was an image of a pile of cardboard boxes with two or three men either walking, standing or lying down on another pile of folded cardboard boxes.

"Are you certain that this area is what was located on the map?"  
"I'm certain that is the case."

The firmness of her response to him was a little reassuring. In a moment later he realize how close she was to his face, his cheeks slightly tinted into a soft blush of pink at the gap between them.

He quickly stood up, his heart almost palpitating at the close encounter as he said;

"Is there anything else that you wanted to do today?"

"Eh?"

His superior was clearly puzzled by his actions.

"Was there another reason why you wanted to go earlier other than asking me about Dad's line of work?"

For now, he was more than willing to change her focus onto something different.

"…No. It was only just this."

"I see."

Regardless of whether she had noticed the blush on his face, he was thankful if she had pretended not to take notice of it.

"Ginoza-san," She stood up next to him, stretching her limps as she did so. "I'll drive you back to the tower. You have a shift later in the day, don't you?"

"…Not exactly, I'm on the late shift today so I'm in no rush."

"Oh. Then it looks like we'll be on the same shift then."

Upon hearing that, he felt relieved he wouldn't have to put up with Shimotsuki. Not that he could not tolerate her abrasiveness towards enforcers and the clear favouritism towards Kunizuka, but he felt comfortable working under someone whom he had known and trust.

"Is that so?"

He smiled. As an afterthought he unconsciously added;

"Thank god."

When the words slipped from his mouth, he realized, almost too suddenly of how he carelessly said those words. It was as if Tsunemori's presence had already made him too comfortable enough to suddenly express his relief of wanting to work with the inspector before him.

He half expected her to ask him why only to have her say;

"Ginoza-san, I never thought you would complain about Shimotsuki-san."

Whether she was either too perceptive or that he was too obvious, half of him was relieved his reaction was seen in as a sign of his discontent with the junior inspector. The other half made his chest burn with disappointment.

He made no effort to correct her as he went along with her words.

"Does it look that way to you?"

She shook her head in her usual manner.

"Sugo-san once mentioned how amazed he was at how you were able to tolerate her words whenever she disapproved of you."

He shrugged.

"Inspector Shimotsuki is a sharp girl. I have no complaints working with her. It's just that–"

_I'd prefer working with you._

He banished the thought once more and quickly added;

"…I guess for today, I would prefer if I don't have to put up with a lot of things."

Tsunemori answered his words with an understanding smile.

* * *

By the time the two of them had left the safe house, he closed the garage door shut and locked it. He turned around to Tsunemori, only to find her staring at the open harbour. He opened his mouth to tell her they were ready to leave, only to be mesmerized at the sight.

The sunlight reflected the waters as the waves ebbed and flowed by the passing wind and current. Her figure against the scenery painted picturesque imagery of a maiden waiting endlessly for someone who would never come back. At the sight of her despondent expression made her appear vulnerable as it gave him the urge of wanting to embrace this small woman.

_It's no use to deny it any longer._

"Tsunemori…"

"Ginoza-san."

Without turning to his direction she continued;

"Kougami-san was here, wasn't he?"

His heart sank at her words. Swallowing the words he wanted to say, he replied;

"Yes. Yes, he was here."

**Chapter End Notes**

***I'm gonna have to break it to you guys, if you guys have read or followed cleverwolfpoetry's blog in tumblr with translations of Psycho-Pass works (specifically the movie novel), I'll have you know that whatever little details that the novel has, or any of the extras that are partly cannon to the main story, I've tried to incorporate them with what was provided. 'soapland' is actually like a red-light district (usually associated with brothels) and so, prude Ginoza for the win! But, according to the movie novel, the information broker whom Akane had been in contact with was living homelessly in the areas where Sybil purposefully disregarded as it was a slum filled with residents who couldn't afford stress care treatment.**


	4. Chapter 4

After accompanying her to visit the location that was written on Masaoka's diary, neither of them spoke on the trip back to the tower. Ginoza stared at the window by the passenger's seat as Tsunemori had her eyes on the road, the two of them had known each other long enough to accept these silent moments.

He reflected on the events that had occurred in their little excursion. As it turns out, the image that Tsunemori had found in the alleyway was, without a doubt a meeting place. It was there they met with his father's old colleague; a man who lived within the slums after losing his job, with the insufficient funds he had, couldn't keep his house, let alone having access to proper stress-care treatment. It was apparent that Masaoka, was his benefactor until he was demoted. Tsunemori didn't hesitate to negotiate with him on the terms that either of them had offered. Ginoza had only observed throughout the negotiation process, knowing it would be useless to stop her once she had made up her mind. The only thing he had to keep in mind on was her safety.

Ginoza's thoughts then returned to the scene he saw in the harbour. The fact that she gleamed in the early morning sunlight in his view had already told him it was useless to deny the thoughts and feelings of wanting to hold onto her and become a pillar of support. The fact that he had seen the feint disparity in her eyes throughout the years had only made him angry at the ghost that would loom over the inspector each time she lit a cigarette. His father's absence was forgivable, as it was never voluntary. Kougami Shinya, on the other hand, was still alive and well. Ginoza did faintly recall Tsunemori express her optimism that they would see each other again someday. Those words alone had given him enough reason for wanting to throw a punch on the runaway enforcer's face.

_If you made such a promise to her,_ Ginoza thought, _then why the hell did you leave?!_

Ginoza knew that had Kougami been there, there wouldn't have been a Tougane Sakuya to take his place. Tsunemori Akane wouldn't have lost her grandmother to the dogs. Kougami would have been there. But he wasn't. The only thing he had left behind were the remnant of ashes in the cigarettes Tsunemori would light up during those trying times.

The very thought of it alone brought his fingers to curl into a ball of a fist.

By the time they arrived, he thanked her as he got out of the car.

"Ginoza-san?"

The inspector stopped him for a moment.

"What is it?"

"…Thank you again, for doing this for me… I…"

As though he had already known what words she was going to say he said;

"Tsunemori, it's alright. I'm glad."

With those words, a smile crept up to her face.

"I'll see you in the office."

"Likewise."

* * *

The following months passed as it became apparent that both Ginoza and Tsunemori would find themselves sharing the same late-night shift more times than either of them could count. In those moments, the occasional breaks between writing their reports would serve as the entry point of small conversations. Although Ginoza was not one who was particularly engaged in small talk, the fact that he had become accustomed to his superior's presence made it easier for him open up his thoughts on certain things depending on the subject. Then, once in a blue moon, she would visit him in his place, discussing matters regarding Masaoka's diary and his entries or if he was lucky enough, she would visit him during their downtime moments after a particularly hard case. In those rare moments, he would offer a glass and she would be willing to accept the offer.

Matters that regarded the old Division 1 would sometimes lead to her lighting a cigarette whenever the subject would be brought up in the balcony. His familiarity towards her presence made it easier to swallow his desires of wanting to do more than just giving her comforting words or an occasional admonishing of her lack of regard towards her safety. Of course, over time, he's learned and accepted the fact that Inspector Tsunemori Akane wasn't the kind of person who could fall so easily.

Within those passing months, spending time after time again having to work in the same late-night shift, it earned him her trust in his presence. Out on the field, without a word but a single gesture, he would carry out her orders without a thought of uncertainty. Over time, he would be the one whom she would ask to stand by her side during interrogations or to be assigned to work with her when the entire team of Division 1 would be present.

Over time, cigarette lighting habits had gradually begun to wane.

It was a good sign, he thought, although it was not, by any means a sign that she had begun to learn to let go of the ghost that haunted both of them. It was an indication that she had grown stronger and confident in her judgement.

"Can I ask you something trivial?"

She posed a question whilst they were in the middle of writing a report.

"Go on," he urged.

"Isn't it hard to work having your hair in the way?"

This caught him off guard. He never realized that he had been pushing long lengths of his hair away from his face in the past few months.

A small chuckle escaped his lips as he answered;

"To be perfectly honest, now that you mentioned it, it has been a long time since I had a haircut. I never really noticed."

She smiled.

"Ginoza-san, you don't notice a lot of things about yourself, do you?"

He gave her a defeated smile. He wouldn't know for certain if what she said truly reflects on who he is.

A lock of hair hung low to his right eye. He pushed it back once more, he had become conscious of how it had become a nuisance.

Tsunemori chuckled and stood from her desk.

"Here, maybe this could help," she said as she strode towards his desk. In her hand, she held an elastic band and placed it on top of his desk.

Ginoza at first didn't say anything as he picked up the elastic. He appreciated the thought, but he didn't know how to say what the problem was.

He then gathered the long locks of hair with one hand, holding the elastic on the other and then...

_Then what?_ He thought aimlessly, he never had the experience of tying someone's hair before, let alone having to do it on himself.

"I'm sorry, I've never done this before," he admitted hopelessly.

He hesitated to look at her in the eye, hoping that he wouldn't see her jeer at his inability to do something so simple. When he dared to look up, his insecurities were met with a smile that he had come to know so well over the years.

"May I?" she said, gesturing for the elastic band with an open hand.

He reluctantly planted the elastic onto the palm of her hand, his fingertips lightly brushed upon the warmth of her skin as he released the bundle of hair with his other hand. Upon receiving it, she walked towards the back of his chair as he cranked his neck towards her direction. Suddenly, he was nervous at the realization that he was about to come in contact with her small delicate fingers.

"Turn your head around."

Despite the casual tone of her voice, her words felt more of a command rather than a simple request. He obediently did as she had told him, taking in a deep breath and released in the form of a long sigh.

As he waited in anticipation which felt almost like an eternity, her fingers stroked at his scalp, sending shivers down to his spine. With one hand, she laced her fingers with his hair, the other was collecting at the strands of hair she gathered from each stroke. Each time her fingers came in contact, her warmth lingered in the areas where they touched. He somewhat sensed she might have had trouble with some of the shorter strands that kept hanging loose, the fact that she kept tugging at them made him wince at the pain. When her fingers travelled to the crown of his head, the warmth of her fingers came in contact with his forehead lightly.

"Ah, sorry," she said.

"It's okay," he responded quickly.

She chortled a little.

Ginoza didn't feel too happy at that. It was hard enough for him to rely on her for something so trivial as this, he felt that his pride as a man was at stake.

With one or two more strokes, she bundled the strands with one hand and tied them together with the elastic.

"There, finished," she said, triumphantly, "Although, your hair is too short so I could only do this much."

He lifted his hand to touch the small ponytail that hung low at the back of his head.

"...thank you," he quietly said. He swivelled his chair around to face her.

Tsunemori blinked, appearing to be surprised at the look. For some reason, he didn't sit well with that.

"What is it?" he dubiously said.

"You look different having your hair up like that," she smiled.

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

She chortled as she said;

"I think it looks good on you, Ginoza-san. With your hair like this, at least you'll be able to work better with nothing covering your face."

His cheeks grew warm.

"...Is that so?" he murmured. He cleared his throat and added, "Thank you."

"Always a pleasure."

Without another word, she returned to her desk, resuming to her work. Ginoza watched her settle back into her shift, reminding him to do the same. He swivelled his chair back to the desktop and focused on the report on his screen. He typed away the words, only to pause for a brief moment and tug at the clump of hair that was tied back. The sensation of her fingers running through his hair lingered in his recollection, his chest-beating steadily.

He was more than aware that he had never been touched, nor had he done so towards anyone for most of his life. He remembered how the old division 1 had once made fun of his single status at some point, added with his father's hopes of having a grandchild. He smirked at the thought, thinking about what the late members of Division 1 would think about him if they had witnessed what had just taken place. If Kagari had been around, he would be the first to make fun of his virgin status.

"Ginoza-san?"

"Yes," Ginoza responded almost too quickly whilst coming back to reality.

"Is something on your mind?" she said innocently, "You were smiling."

"Ah, no," he said, "I was just thinking about the old team of division 1."

"...I see."

Her eyelids closed slightly, wearing a melancholic expression on her face. Her words followed with a gaze that fell towards the direction of Hound 3's desk. Although Sugo was the current user of this desk, it was obvious, without a doubt that she would always be reminded of the ghost that stood between them.

And yet, despite this knowledge, Ginoza was glad. For the first time, he admitted to himself at least, that Kougami wasn't there to bear witness to everything that's happened. With the time he spent working with Tsunemori within these late hours had become precious to him for the months that passed. Moments like these, whenever she eyed the desk, their eyes would meet briefly and he would give her a curt nod to assure her he understands.

This time, however, he said;

"I'm sure that Kougami is out there, living freely. Doing things he had always wanted to do."

She blinked, looked up to his direction as he continued:

"I think people like me are well suited for a job like this rather than living freely."

"...Ginoza-san, I don't think that's always the case."

He smirked.

"The truth is that after my demotion, I realized that there isn't much difference working as an enforcer. Nothing changes both inside and outside of myself."

"...Ginoza-san."

"Yes?"

"You're wrong there, Ginoza-san. You have changed, you just haven't noticed it."

He gave her a dubious look.

"It's true though," she insisted.

Her smile felt like an indication that it was a good thing.

"I guess I'll take your word for it."

Ginoza smiled, giving her a curt nod as he returned to his work.

She, in turn, did the same, not long after she gave a glance at his direction.


	5. Chapter 5

C**hapter Notes**

**This chapter came to mind after i had the weirdest dream about these two. And then it seemed like a good idea to add it as a chapter. Seems apropriate right? Of course some of the stuff was added so yeah**

One night, his memories blurred and merged into an alternative reality. He saw himself standing under the shelter of a canopy, wearing a familiar blue jacket that inspectors wore out on the field. One moment he thought his hair was short as he pushed the frames of his glasses up to the bridge of his nose. Then he remembered he hadn't worn glasses for years, and that his hair had grown to a length that he could tie back. Upon that recollection, suddenly the frames were no longer perched on his nose, and that his hair tied back.

"Excuse me, Are you inspector Ginoza by any chance?"

The young Inspector Tsunemori called out to him as though it was the first time he saw her.

Smiling to the familiar sound of her voice, he turned his heel towards her direction and greeted her.

"Yes, that's me. Inspector Tsunemori Akane, I take it?"

It was strange to him, he greeted her as though it was the first time they've ever met. His memories churned inside his brain, trying to recall how he had come to know this small woman before him.

She raised her hand to her head in salute.

"Yes, Tsunemori Akane reporting for duty–"

"It's unfortunate that you have to deal with an incident right after you got posted. Sorry but the CID is short of manpower, so I can't treat you like a newbie."

The young inspector opened her mouth to speak, only to have Ginoza add;

"But, knowing you, I'm more than certain you'd be able to handle it."

The words fell from his mouth, the warmth in his tone eased the tensions of her shoulders. She smiled at his words, despite the clear uncertainty in her eyes.

Soon enough, the paddy wagon arrived, carrying enforcers from the old and new division 1 alike. Kunizuka, Kagari, Sugo, Hinakawa, Kougami and lastly his father, Masaoka. Ginoza couldn't help but abandon his position for a brief moment and made the biggest grin he's ever made in so many years. He almost felt like a child at the sight of his father, his heart beating ecstatically at the nostalgic figure that stood before him.

"Nobuchika-kun," his father greeted in the familiar manner he had known for so long.

"Gino," Kougami nodded.

Although Ginoza would have sworn that Kougami was supposed to be his partner of Division 1, he found it as though it was the most natural thing to see him as an enforcer.

After the briefing, Ginoza then made the order and the team was split into 2 parties. Tsunemori was with Kougami, Kunizuka and Sugo whilst Masaoka, Kagari and Hinakawa was with Ginoza. Somewhere down the line, they managed to close the case, with Tsunemori being the one to shoot with a non-lethal paralyzer in a fashion that Ginoza had come know over the course of the years they had spent working together. He was half-aware of the possibility that this could be a dream considering on the sudden time-skip.

Suddenly, it was apparent that they had been working together for so long. Smiles filled the office of Division 1, echoes of laughter and chatter could be heard from afar. Ginoza would be the first one in attempting to simmer down the noise, and then strangely enough, suddenly Inspector Shimotsuki would be the first to scold them. Ginoza thanked her, then turned to find Tsunemori smiling in clear amusement.

Later, on he found the young inspector exchanging conversations with Kougami, a scenery that Ginoza was familiar with during the time when he was still an Inspector–

At the sudden thought, he breathed heavily, as he questioned whether he really was an inspector or not.

"Nobuchika," his father called out to him, distracting him from his thoughts.

"Dad," he said, turning his eyes away from the couple towards Masaoka.

At first, his father would shift his gaze towards the pair in the balcony to the son before him. Then, like a cheeky old man he asked;

"Are you jealous?"

"Huh?"

Ginoza flustered at his words.

"So you like that Missy over there, eh?"

"D-don't be ridiculous," he blubbered his words as his cheeks grew hot at the notion.

His father returned his denial with heart-filled laughter. Ginoza sighed dejectedly, his gaze returning to the couple who stood alongside each other with wide smiles on their faces. From where he sat, in the waiting room by the vending machines, he saw Kougami through the glass doors taking a drag from the cigarette in his hand. Tsunemori didn't seem fazed as the inaudible conversation continued between them. Ginoza silently watched them, Tsunemori smiling as the straight-faced enforcer spoke to her without turning towards her direction. His chest burned with an indescribable ache, yet, oddly enough, Ginoza felt satisfied as he watched the two of them together.

"It's a tough competition," his father added coyly.

"No," Ginoza shook his head, "there was no competition in the first place."

The young inspector appeared to have giggled at something the enforcer had said.

"For as long as she's happy," Ginoza added, "I think that's enough for me. If there was anyone out there who could make her happy, it won't be me."

"Oh?" Masaoka raised a brow. "What makes you so certain?"

"Because I believe it's not my place to be by her side."

Kougami ruffled the small inspector's hair.

"If that's the case," Masaoka continued, "Who do you think should be by her side, if not you?"

Ginoza didn't answer and continued to watch the two of them enjoying themselves in each other's company.

"You said it yourself once," He finally spoke, "Those two are drawn by some fate."

The old man chuckled.

"If fate had drawn them together, I'm more than certain they'll meet again, someday."

Ginoza was puzzled by this statement. _But aren't both of them on the balcony?_

Kougami turned his heel towards the building and walked towards the balcony exit, leaving Tsunemori to watch him leave.

"But until that time, Nobuchika," Masaoka continued, "wouldn't it be easier for either of you to rely on each other until that day comes?"

As soon as Kougami was gone from his sight, Ginoza returned his gaze towards Tsunemori who leaned against the balcony railings with a cigarette in hand as the wind carried a trail of smoke from her hands.

"I don't think my company would be enough to fill in the gaps that everyone had left behind."

Ginoza turned towards his father's direction, only to be met with a saddened look on Masaoka's eyes.

"Nobuchika, you deserve to have some happiness," Masaoka solemnly spoke, "I'm sorry I couldn't be a good father to you, making you suffer throughout those trying years. You deserve better than this. Even though I cannot be with you now, I can only hope that you would be able to find someone who could be by your side."

His heart ached at his father's words. He stood up and embraced the old man likened to a vulnerable child in need of a parent's embrace.

"Dad."

It was all he had to say.

"Dad."

He felt his father's arms around him and embraced him tightly. Ginoza couldn't say the words he had always wanted to say. In the end, he could only call out 'Dad' as he sobbed like a child in his father's arms.

Masaoka was the first to let go of him. Ginoza watched his father turn his back towards him, waving a hand without looking back. When Masaoka's figure disappeared into the distance, Ginoza walked through the balcony entrance to find Tsunemori staring out into the endless towering buildings.

"Tsunemori."

Ginoza stood a few paces away from her.

"Ginoza-san."

There was a brief moment of silence.

"Kougami-san left, didn't he?"

"Yes."

"…"

"Kougami isn't coming back any time soon."

"I know."

He walked to her side, leaning against the railings as he did so.

"That's why," she sighed, "I'll wait for him."

The demoted inspector turned towards her direction, her eyes full of disparity despite the firmness of her voice. The sight of her brought him to raise his hand to her cheek.

"I can't wait for my father," Ginoza said, half-surprised at the sudden boldness in his actions. "Dad can't come back. He could never come back, even if he wanted to. What about you? Do you truly believe Kougami would come back, after he committed murder, a crime? What colour do you think he would have if a dominator were to be pointed at his face?"

"Ginoza-san," Tsunemori turned her head to face him, holding his gloved hand that caressed her cheek. She pressed his hand against her cheek and closed her eyes. "If sybil cannot accept him; if society cannot accept him; then I will have to go to him myself."

With her words, she lifted his hand away and walked a few steps away from the railings. She then cheerily turned her heel to face his direction as she smiled;

"Thank you, Ginoza-san, for always worrying about me. Thank you for being there, for reprimanding me, for having to put up with my stubborn recklessness. It's been a pleasure, having to work with you, as your colleague and superior."

The colour of his face drained as a chill ran down his spine. His heart was aching. _Don't go._

The inspector bowed before him then turned around towards the exit.

"TSUNEMORI!"

He awoke, gasping for air as he found himself with an outstretched hand towards the ceiling.

_A dream. _He took a deep breath and sighed at the thought. He found himself drenched in sweat, his hand clapped to his forehead as he retrieved the scenes that played in his memory. It explained a lot to him. A dream like that was too good to be true, having everyone band together while catching criminals. And yet, even in his dream, Tsunemori remained the same as she did in reality.

He recalled how emboldened he was to lift a finger on his superior. Honest to god, he swore it felt more real to him compared to the times he stood by her side while they were out in the field.

_What the hell am I doing?_

The fact that he started having dreams about his fears left a bad taste on his mouth, it was hard enough as it was to have the late members of Division 1 in it. He couldn't bring himself to return to his slumber and decided it would be a good idea to might as well start the day early.

* * *

After another long and tiring case, Ginoza slumped to his chair in his residence. Dime wagged his tail, barking happily to greet its owner from its cage. He smirked a little as he greeted.

"I'm home."

The canine barked in response.

He then received a notification that Tsunemori Akane was standing outside his residence.

Ginoza stood up as the door hissed open, caught off-guard at the sudden visit.

"Pardon the intrusion," she said.

"Tsunemori..." Ginoza leaned against the armrest of the chair he was sitting in. "Is something wrong?"

"...I don't mean to pry, but, you looked weary out there on the field... Are you alright?"

A question like that could only give him to options. One, he could brush it off, tell her that she must be over thinking things. Or he could just tell her everything. Tell her that he woke up from the worst possible dream he's ever had in years, opening up to her for whatever reasons he had to do so. But at that moment, Ginoza couldn't think of these options as he was truly worn out from everything that had happen from his wake till the very end of the day.

"I'm fine."

The words rolled out of his tongue instinctively. And yet, his expression didn't suit the words he had said.

Tsunemori walked up to him, his mind wearily dreaded as he knew was not in the best condition to hold himself back.

"Ginoza-san, you don't look alright."

He scoffed a little.

"I can't hide anything from you, can I?"

"I'm worried about you."

"I'm aware."

A silence filled the room for a moment. It was then he was made aware of the small gap between them.

"... You don't have to tell me now if that's what you want.

She paused, almost hesitant to continue.

"but when you are willing to talk, I'll listen."

Her words was enough to break his restraint. He placed his hands over her arms as he leaned forward to rest his head on her shoulder and sighed. It caught her off-guard as she twitched at the sudden contact.

"...G-ginoza-san?"

"Sorry," he murmured, "Just... for a little while longer..."

For a while, they remained still, then, unexpectedly, he felt her arms around his neck, drawing him closer to her as she hugged him awkwardly. In response, he wrapped his arms around her as he held her against his chest. Somehow, he realized, he was trembling in her embrace. When he pulled away from her, no words were spoken as she continued to give him a concerned look on her face.

He knew he couldn't trouble her any longer while leaving her in the dark.

"I had a dream about my father."

That much he could afford to say.

And as he had expected, she gave him a look that told him she understood without words.

"When I woke up, I couldn't bring myself to sleep."

She nodded as she listened. He knew he had a choice to go any further, but he chose to leave it at that.

"Sorry if I worried you," he gave a feint smile. "I know I haven't done my best today. It won't happen again."

"It's alright if you aren't alright," she finally said.

Ginoza looked at her in the eye, then turned away.

"Thank you."


	6. Chapter 6

The very thought of it felt unreal. In his wake, he found himself on his couch; his legs outstretched along the length of his sofa, a blanket covering him. However, that was the least of his worries. The fact that Tsunemori was sleeping upright on the other side of the sofa had startled him in his wake. He turned to the small centre table, an empty bottle with two small glasses adjacent to it. He couldn't figure out as to what it was that led him up to this point. Suddenly the memories became apparently hazy as he begun fear that he might have done something that he should not have done.

He sat up, his two feet landing on the floor and sighed.

"…-san…"

He heard the little inspector mutter.

The enforcer turned around, mused at the rare sight of the sleeping inspector before him. But he knew that for his sake, and hers, he would have to be the one to disrupt this peaceful scene.

"Inspector," he began.

"…"

Tsunemori mumbled inaudibly.

"Inspector Tsunemori, wake up."

He shook her by the shoulder.

"mm… Ginoza-san…?"

Her eyelids slowly opened, her breathing hitched as she stirred herself awake.

"Good morning."

"…Good morning…"

This truly was a rare sight. Something that he could never forget. He shunned the very thought of it before it took hold of his actions.

"Inspector, what did I tell you about getting too comfortable with enforcers? You don't need to concern yourself with our affairs."

She cleared her throat wearily as she sleepily replied;

"But last night, you said you wanted me to stay."

He twitched at her words as the memories of the night before had finally sunk in. He remembered how he rested his head against her and embraced her. After that, the two had a short dialogue about who knows what it was they were discussing while he fed Dime somewhere in-between.

_Was I drunk?_

The thought troubled him more than ever.

It was certainly a first for him to forget the details of what happened. Ginoza had always made sure that when drinking, he would do so in moderation. The fact that his memories were cut loose from his consciousness had given him the benefit of the doubt that perhaps he must have been intoxicated enough to demand such a thing from her. If that were the case, he was surprised he woke up without a headache as he recalled the time when Sasayama arrived to work one day, hung over from the previous night of merry making.

He hesitated at first, but he knew he wouldn't able to rest until he was certain.

"…Was I… did I… was I drunk last night, by any chance?"

Tsunemori shook her head.

"You took a nightcap before you sat on the couch. At first, I couldn't really tell if you fell asleep. I was about to leave your place, but when you said that so clearly, I decided to stay for a while. I guess I fell asleep not long after."

The thought that he had shown his weak self before the woman he admired made him feel almost incompetent in his profession. His pride as a man felt slightly damaged as the facts were laid out before him.

"… I am so sorry."

"There's nothing for you to be sorry for, Ginoza-san."

"The fact that I had given you so much trouble, making you stay is–"

"Ginoza-san, it's alright. It was my decision after all."

He couldn't wipe away the troubled look off his face. Not that he was aware of it for the most part.

"Don't look like that," she said, "You've done nothing wrong."

He opened his mouth, only to have it shut. It would be pointless to insist once she made up her mind.

Before he could do anything, she stood up stretching her limbs adjacent to where he sat. Turning to her wristlink to check the time, she began;

"Are you alright?"

"Hm?"

"Are you feeling better now?"

Ginoza lifted his gaze and met with the same eyes he saw from the night before.

"Yeah."

He nodded.

"Really?"

"Really."

She turned around towards the door, collecting her bag that sat atop of a chair.

"I'll see you later, then," she smiled at him before she made her way out the door.

He nodded in turn, a feint smile on his face.

A small whine was heard from the canine's pen.

For a moment, Ginoza had forgotten that Dime had been there to witness everything that had taken place.

"Good morning to you too," he chuckled, standing up as he unlocked the gate.

* * *

For the most part, Ginoza was glad she never brought up the subject from that point on. She continued to treat him the way she always had done since the beginning. Him on the other hand couldn't shake the doubt that etched in his mind, the sight of her figure leaving him behind. For sure, he was over-protective of her since the day of Masaoka's passing, re-enforced since the death of his good friend Aoyonagi Risa. At first, he was certain that he doesn't want anymore people around him to meet a terrible end, or betray his trust or to leave him behind. At first, it was because of this he felt the need to do everything in his power to protect her.

And yet, somewhere down the line, admiration led to respect, to understanding, only to unfurl itself into some form of affection that both felt foreign and yet familiar. He knew he had a choice, to entertain the thought or to abandon it before it had the chance to grow. He chose to accept the facts of his new-found affection for the inspector since the day he saw her in the docks on that fateful morning. He would bring himself to trust her judgement, follow her orders without question as she had given him the freedom to pursue his instincts. He thought that his trust wouldn't be shaken. And yet, all it took was a simple dream to throw him off course.

_Try not to think about it, _he told himself as he continued writing down on their latest reports.

Having faith in a person was something that he never thought he would find himself doing.

Neither does falling in love with someone who was out of reach.

A scent of freshly brewed coffee brought him back to his senses.

"Here you go."

The inspector raised a mug to his view.

"Thank you."

He accepted the brew with his gloved hand. The material of the glove enabled him to have a decent grip on ceramic surface.

Little gestures like these had become a norm between the two of them. A mutual sense of trust, without a doubt, despite his constant habit of holding back on certain things.

"There's been some disturbing reports," she began.

"...Is it from _him?_ "

She nodded. The two of them had agreed not to speak of a word of the name of the information broker.

"There's been a rumor going around in the slums that firearms are being smuggled in the docks. He said that he'll update on what he could gather."

Ginoza raised a brow.

After the events of Kamui, he was made aware of the case of illegal immigrants coming into their shores. Although he has no opinion towards this issue, the fact that some had brought with them their weapons onto their soil in the past was enough for him to be concerned.

"Couldn't we send some pill-bugs to confirm this?"

"We could," she said, "But that would require the permission from the higher ups."

"I see."

Although he was familiar with matters of protocol in these situations, he had sensed that Tsunemori wouldn't want to give away the name of the information broker to the chief. Based on his own experience, Chief Kasei wouldn't hesitate to use whatever means she has in order to get the results she wanted. He wouldn't be surprised if Shepard 1 had already picked up on the kind of woman Kasei would be.

"He said that he had only heard these rumors from a passerby, so he couldn't really prove anything at this point without evidence."

Knowing the Chief, Ginoza was certain that baseless rumors wasn't enough to give an inspector the authority to carry things out so easily.

"So what are you going to do?"

"We don't have any leads to begin with, so it's going to be difficult to start an official investigation."

Surprised at her response, he sipped his coffee and said;

"Its not like you to sit and wait for solid evidence."

She gave him a puzzled look.

"What do you mean?"

"Back when you were still fresh from the academy, you took Kougami with you after you received that message during the Makishima ordeal." He leaned against his chair as he continued; "Normally, reports like these, no matter how unfounded it may have sounded, you would immediately launch an investigation. What's holding you back?"

The pensive look on her face told him that there really was something bothering her. She swiveled Hound 3's chair to sit on it, facing towards Ginoza's direction.

"I don't really know," she answered, "Maybe I'm overthinking things, but I feel as though I might stumble into something too big for any of us to handle."

"That never stopped you before," he commented, "You closed the case on Kamui. You found a way overcome the Makishima ordeal. Normally something like this wouldn't phase you."

She shook her head, a humble smile worn on her face.

"You're overestimating me, Ginoza-san. If it weren't for everyone's efforts, I wouldn't be able to do everything on my own. But, at this point, its different. Its as if my intuition tells me that now is not the right time. Rather, I feel as if the whole case will reveal itself sometime soon. It's only a matter of time."

A small chuckle escaped his lips, realizing how much she's grown so much. The fact that she had begun to learn how to approach a case like this with repose made him compare to the times she made bold decisions that were both unprecedented and against protocol procedures.

"I'm glad," he said, "I was worried that you might pursue this matter by yourself regardless."

"You make me sound too impulsive, Ginoza-san," she said jokingly.

"I never said you were." he smiled.

_"Elevated stress warning. Psycho pass exceeding the acceptable valuable has been detected in-"_

As the announcement was made, Ginoza sighed and turned to the inspector. Tsunemori returned to her desk, placing her desktop into sleep mode.

"Shall we go?" he said, collecting his tan trench-coat from the back of his chair.

"Yes," she nodded.

* * *

The two surveyed the open square, a mass of denizens walking in different directions. The holo lights lit up the scenery as glass windows echoed its reflection onto the pavement floors. For sure, it was going to be difficult to find a latent criminal in a sea of people.

"Its going to be a long night," Ginoza said, "wouldn't it be easier to use the holo suits in a situation like this?"

"At a time like this, spotting a Kommisa mascot late at night would only give them a chance to escape," Tsunemori replied.

"But so does the MWPSB uniform," he pointed at the jacket.

A thunderclap rumbled in the air. Within a matter of minutes, rain began to pour heavily.

Tsunemori unzipped her uniform and hovered it over her head. Ginoza looked up at the heavens and sighed.

"I guess at this point it would be useless to use the holo suit now," she called out, running towards the closest shade.

Ginoza followed her run towards shade outside of a closed exhibition building. By the time they arrived, Tsunemori shook the droplet off her jacket, only to appear displeased at the how soaked the fabric had become. The enforcer glanced towards the now open square, the pavement soaked and shimmering a reflection of the holo lights of the city. There in the rain, he spotted a small figure of a child, sitting underneath a tree that stood on the corner of the square. His clothes and hair disheveled, carrying a small plastic bag.

"Inspector," his eyes pointed at the direction of the child.

The inspector looked at him first, then followed his gaze. She frowned almost immediately. She eyed at his wristlink, which he immediately picked up on what she had in mind.

The enforcer activated the holo suit, and stepped into the rain. The pixels of the holo fizzed here and there as each drop of rain came into contact. He made sure he was walking in an unsuspecting pace as he strode towards the direction of the child.

The young boy's eyes blinked then looked up, his eyes met with the figure of the mascot. Immediately, the child panicked and begun to sprint towards the direction of open streets.

Ginoza 'tched' and switched off the holo suit. Turning towards the direction of the inspector, only to find Tsunemori running towards his direction. Wordlessly, she nodded, giving him permission to give chase.

The enforcer ran, following the direction of where the child was heading. His eyes fixated on the small figure of the boy whom he was catching up to, only to have the boy turn to a corner. Ginoza hastened further, finding himself running into an alleyway as the small figure was disappearing from his view. He followed the boy, turning to another corner. He continued his pursuit which had been going on for a while, only to lose sight of the boy after he turned to another corner.

Tsunemori caught up to him, her shoulders heaving. By that time, the rain had begun to dissipate into a light drizzle.

"Sorry," he huffed. "I lost him."

"It's... alright," she said, breathing heavily.

"That boy... he could be a runaway. It could be the only explanation why he'd been wandering around this time of the night."

Ginoza reached for the upholstered Dominator on his back, clutched it by its trigger, but hesitated to take it out.

"Which direction did you see him go?"

Ginoza pointed to his left.

"Ginoza-san, you take the left, I'll go around and see if I could block his exit."

"Roger."

The two separated, Ginoza ran for a few paces, only to slow down as he scanned his surrounding left and right. By the time he reached the end of another alley, he spotted the boy running past his view.

"Tsunemori, I found him. He's heading your way." He reported into his wristlink.

"Roger!" she said.

He sprinted, turning to a corner to find the boy running. Just as the enforcer was about to catch up to him, the boy turned to another corner, only to stumble onto Shepard 1. Tsunemori immediately held him by the wrist, the boy screaming as he tugged at her grip.

"Let go!"

The boy clawed at her hand, resulting into her flinching and loosened her hand around his skinny wrist. With him free, he scuttled away once more. Tsunemori chased after him, with Ginoza caught up to her pace.

"How long is this going to go?"

"We should request to have some drones block the exit," Ginoza huffed.

"No," Tsunemori said, "I think I might know where he's heading."

With that said, she turned to another corner despite the fact that the boy was running in front of them.

"Follow him!" she ordered.

Ginoza had no other choice but to comply with her words.

Surely enough, after a while of running, Tsunemori appeared before the boy, blocking the exit. The boy stopped at his tracks.

"I'm not going back!" the boy barked.

Tsunemori took a step closer.

"Stay away!" the boy continued. "Stay away! I'm not going back!"

Ginoza stood still and raised the Dominator at the boy.

_"Crime Coefficient 105. Target for enforcement action. Dominator set to Non-lethal _ _paralyzer."_

"Tsunemori," Ginoza looked at her in the eye.

She said nothing, but took another step.

"Don't send me back! Please! I don't want to go home!"

Tears begun to stream down the boy's eyes.

"Please. Don't take me home..."

"Ginoza-san."

Ginoza saw the inspector shake her head.

He lowered the Dominator and upholstered it.

The boy fell on his knees, crying out in a loud voice. Tsunemori approached the boy, lowering herself to his level and landed a hand on his head.

"Tell me," she said, "Why don't you want to go home?"

The boy for a moment looked up, only to bury his face onto her shirt, clutching the fabric as he continued to whimper.

From where Ginoza stood, he saw yellowish green bruises on the back of the boy's neck.

* * *

Ginoza carried the boy in his arms on their way back to the paddy wagon, given that the boy had cried himself to sleep due to the exhaustion. They were in no position of having the wagon transported into the narrow alleyways of the city and so the two had walked for a long while. The enforcer had the boy sitting on his prosthetic arm, leaning against his chest as he had his flesh arm wrapped around the small body. Tsunemori was walking ahead of them, turning her head to him once in a while.

"What is it?" He asked.

"...He said he doesn't want to go home," she began. "To think that in this day and age, there would be parents who would abuse their child and managed to get passed the cymatic scanners."

"I've worked with similar cases like these when I was still an inspector," Ginoza eyed the bare bruise that was etched on the boy's neck. "Some of those cases resulted in having the children with a higher psycho pass than their own parents."

"How cruel," she muttered.

"Parent and child alike couldn't maintain a clear color and were sent to isolation facilities. Some of them were not so lucky."

The inspector slowed her pace to match his, her eyes following the boy.

"Will you be alright carrying him all the way?" she said in clear concern, "You've been running around for a long while."

"It's fine. This arm could carry a heavier weight than this."

For a while silence came over the two of them.

Ginoza was the first to speak.

"If Kagari were here, it's possible he would be affected by this."

Tsunemori didn't reply, her eyes morose in a solemn silence.

Ginoza knew that Kagari was no longer part of this world. Although Tsunemori wouldn't confirm his conclusion, he was familiar with how the top brass worked. He could only assume that Kagari had stumbled onto something he wasn't supposed to see and was eliminated for it.

As they continued on, he caught sight of a red stain on four of the boy's fingernails. He turned to the inspector's hand that hung by her side and noted the red lines on her skin.

"You might need to get that fixed when we get to the paddy wagon," he pointed at her hand.

"Oh."

Apparently, she didn't realize that the boy had left marks on her.

When they approached the wagon, he laid the sleeping child onto one of the benches by the sidewalk as a drone from the wagon carried out a first-aid kit. At this point, the rain ceased, but the three of them were soaked to the bone. Ginoza had already covered the boy with his trench-coat to keep the boy warm. The inspector treated her own wounds while sitting on the same bench, but struggled to place the gauze pad on her hand as her limbs appeared lethargic after running so much in the rain.

He took off his blazer and offered it to the inspector.

She shook her head.

"No, it's fine Ginoza-san," she politely declined.

"Are you sure?"

"mm," she nodded.

"Then allow me to do this much," he pointed at the gauze.

"Ah, thank you," she handed over the gauze.

Taking the pad, he gently placed the pad over her wound and used the medical tape to hold the gauze in place. The process reminded him of the time when he stormed into the suspect's apartment, only to be met with an explosion with him the only casualty despite being the last one to enter the apartment.

_"How is it that you two came out unharmed?" _ he remembered asking Kagari and Kunizuka.

The thought made him chuckle.

"What is it?" the small woman asked.

"Ah, no, I just remembered something."

He stood up and picked up the child back to his arms.

"Well, now that that's done, I'll be going back," He entered into the wagon, laid the boy onto the seat adjacent to him as a drone trailed behind him.

"Ginoza-san," she walked up to wagon's entrance.

"Yes?"

"Thanks for the hard work."

A smile crept up his face as he nodded.

"You too."

He made one last look at the inspector, only to take note that the usual pack of cigarettes that bulged out of her pocket no longer resided there as the wagon doors closed shut.


	7. Chapter 7

In his visit to Masaoka's grave, the winter had melted into spring, marking his third visit to his father. Although he wouldn't admit to how he hoped that Tsunemori would join him once more in his visit, he remained thankful for the effort she makes in driving him there. Three years have officially passed since the day of they lost valuable colleagues, the shadows of the deceased remained heavily on their minds in moments of reflection.

Ginoza learned, or at least, found himself accustomed to his position as Hound 1 a lot easier than he had initially thought over time, as he had come to terms with losing his position as an inspector. He recalled one conversation between Aoyonagi about how he was once sore about the subject of the roles of inspectors and enforcers. He could only snide at his old self during his days as an inspector, even at the mere thought of his cruel treatment towards his father and friend would bring him more grief whenever he stood before the grave.

"If I only I had joined you for a drink for once," he said reflectively before the gravestone. "Whenever I'm here, it looks as though I could only tell you my regrets of what I could have done."

Having to remain in the MWSB for more than ten years would have been a wonderful opportunity to retire. Settle down to focus on family building or pursue on other things that didn't demand pointing a dominator to one's head. His father would have hoped to see it that way, had he lived.

The enforcer couldn't help but mirthlessly laugh. Even an 'uneventful' future like that was something that seemed like a faraway dream.

By the time he finished, he took the usual path down to where she parked her car. Although he had come to take note on the fact that the pack of spinel cigarettes no longer resided in her jacket; seeing that familiar trail of smoke adjacent to the car was enough evidence to conclude she had turned this practice into a habit.

"I'm sure by now you're probably tired of hearing others tell you about second-hand smoking," he said casually. "How are you handling things?"

"Ginoza-san," she quickly extinguished the embers with the tobacco pouch. "You're starting to sound like Saiga-san."

"Hmph," he smirked, "If that were the case, I wouldn't be asking you."

She gave him a curt smile.

"I think I'm handling everything just fine. I can't thank you enough for giving me that opportunity to learn from everything that Masaoka's written."

"Its fine," he entered into the vehicle, "I'm just glad that it has been of use to you instead of leaving it in that shed to rot."

Appearing to have remembered something she had to do, she rummaged through her bag and pulled out the item in question.

"Before I forget, you should have this back."

She passed the leather-bound diary to him. Masaoka's diary had remained in her possession since their last visit to his grave. He'd have to admit that he too wanted to look further into his father's diary to see what Masaoka had done in his earlier years. But Ginoza felt that it was probably the only physical thing he could give her as a gift, a token for his respect and admiration for his superior.

He wore a melancholic smile on his face.

"You should keep it."

"But this is your father's diary."

"I'm giving it to you, Inspector. I'm sure that it would serve a better use to you than someone in my position."

She frowned.

"Ginoza-san, please don't call me that when we're off-duty."

She gestured at his hand to take it.

Ginoza took it off her hands, only to gently take her by the hand and turned it palm-side up to place the leather diary on top of it. Before she was able to voice her protest, he took her other hand and placed it on the surface of leather, his bionic hand over hers to secure it.

"I'm sure that Dad would be honoured to have this in your possession. It's the very least I can do on his behalf."

He solemnly spoke, pushing it towards her in earnest modesty.

At first, she couldn't say anything, her eyes deeply filled with concern.

"Are you okay with that?"

"Hmm."

He nodded.

"…Thank you," she sheepishly said.

She shifted her body slightly, only to tug at his hands that had sandwiched her own. Realizing that his hands had remained on hers, he jerked his hands away.

"Ah, sorry."

She giggled.

"It's alright."

* * *

He started the day like any other day, doing his morning routine, walking Dime and working out to pass the time. Ginoza eagerly anticipating for the hours to pass until the clock strikes at the hour of his next shift, perhaps not necessarily for reasons that involve not just seeing his former kohai in action, but just so to fulfil his duties as an enforcer. At this point, summer has come to the city, as it no longer demanded an extra layer of clothes on his back in the line of duty.

Upon entering the office, he was greeted by his fellow enforcers, Shimotsuki sitting on the desk where he was once designated to. He immediately set himself to work on the paperwork on his end, the hours passing by until his colleagues finished up their shifts, leaving him alone in the office. Shimotsuki eagerly left her position on the dot, leaving him with her usual display of disdain for enforcers, although it was less harsh as the sourness in her expression had mellowed to that of a cold front. Ginoza could only empathize where she was coming from, but he certainly wasn't entirely tolerant towards her behaviour.

By the time Tsunemori entered the office, he had already engrossed himself into his work. After a short greeting between the two, they returned to their work in their usual blissful silence. As the hours passed them by, he hoped at the very least to have their shift end peacefully.

The sound of a wrist-link notification rang out.

"Did you find something?"

The inspector answered it almost immediately.

Judging by the sound of her voice, Ginoza knew that it was going to be another long night.

* * *

While riding in the paddy wagon, the briefing took place within the moving vehicle. Ginoza couldn't help but worry about this case. He reflected upon the conversation they had before they left the office.

_"__It's from him," the inspector had a grave expression on her face._

_"__Has there been an update regarding the rumour?"_

_"__Hmm," she nodded, "He said he's found one of the black market dealers. But there's more."_

_He watched as her gaze trailed to the desk that was situated between them briefly then continued._

_"__There have been sightings of foreign men in green carrying firearms."_

He shifted his gaze to the holo screen in the vehicle, watching the images that were taken from the pill-bugs. Screenings of men with foreign features carrying weapons and gadgets. It wasn't that he didn't trust the information broker's word, he just wished that the report made was just a hoax. Based on the information gathered, that this night's raid was going to be different from the cases they faced.

By the time they arrived at the scene, Tsunemori briefed them on the plan. Ginoza didn't utter a word throughout the briefing, as he was well informed of the stakes they were about to face before they left the tower. Having the two veteran enforcers by her side, and the rest with inspector Shimotsuki, the teams held their positions.

Carrying out the plan, the raid has been proven successful. As Shepard 1 had suspected, the illegal aliens were not only versed in combat, they had carried with them gadgets that could only exist within their own country. Although he had taken this knowledge into account, he couldn't afford to stand still and carried out the order to secure the area.

He hastened his way to the inspector and found her standing before the criminal who lay before her feet. He opened his mouth to inform her that the targets are now secured, only to have it closed at the sight before their eyes.

The sun had glistened upon the rundown infrastructures, casting long shadows from the drones and the standing figure before him. There a worn-down paperback novel lay there, adjacent to the fallen man, with words written in their mother-tongue.

_"__Swann's way" _he read. The very sight of the rare artefact was enough to shake his line of thinking. He didn't know what it meant, but judging by the sight of her eyes, it could only be interpreted as some kind of omen.

Both inspector and enforcer wore sullen faces, wordlessly, they could only think of one thing.

_Kougami Shinya._


	8. Chapter 8

There was nothing to expect from the outcome of this case initially. The information broker had provided them an intimidating amount of evidence to write about in their report, which would have allowed them to close the case almost immediately. But, as new evidence were found in the terrorists' possession, it became apparent that they were entering into an unknown territory that involved Japan's jurisdiction. Their findings of first-rate technology that were manufactured within Japan's industries had already begun to stir the enforcer's mind.

He assumed Tsunemori would be sharp enough to question the same thing as he had done. However, upon the sight of the worn-out paperback, it threw out all rational thoughts out the window. The sight of her pensive face was evident enough to bring out remnants of her old, apprehensive nature.

"We've apprehended the criminals," Ginoza said coolly in an attempt to bring her back to reality.

Initially, she remained still for a moment, her eyes fixated on the direction of the white, crinkled book on the gravel floor.

"… Gather everyone."

She spoke in a firm manner that he was familiar with. Her gaze plastered to the floor as she continued.

"We're going back."

On their journey back to the MWSB tower, Ginoza's brows furrowed, his thoughts fixated on the novel that laid adjacent to the criminal. His flesh hand curled into a light fist on his lap at the fact that it would take one shabby artefact to remind them of the ghost.

She was recovering. She was getting the hang of it. Within the times when Kougami was away, Ginoza had seen everything through. He saw how much she had struggled to stand tall in the chaos of the conflict. How much she had fought for the ideals she believed in. He then acknowledged that he wasn't the only one in the MWSB who had helped her through those trying times. Karanomori was able to even out some of the inspector's troubles. Kunizuka as well, he would assume. Not to mention Saiga Joji's council who helped them throughout the incident with Kamui. With that in mind, Ginoza felt that he had been arrogant to think that he was the only one who cared.

_When did I become this greedy? _He wasn't usually like this. Being intimidated by the ghost of the past. Not that he necessarily had a grudge against anyone, or that he was the sort to hold a grudge towards anyone in the first place.

Perhaps, from the very beginning, Kougami had always been someone who could stir the order of the world around him. A man who never gave up once he made up his mind at the cost of his own freedom. Kougami was admirable in that sense. It was something Ginoza acknowledged as someone who knew him for a long time.

Which was exactly why it troubled him even further. Kougami made his choice and was well prepared for the consequences. Given the notion that Tsunemori had been in awe of his unprecedented ways of thinking since the beginning, somehow Ginoza wouldn't be surprised if they were to meet again, and that the next time they would, she would follow his shadow…

The image of his dream came to mind. Her back turned towards the unknown.

"Ginoza-san," the sound of Sugo's voice interrupted his thoughts abruptly, "We have arrived."

"Hmm," the enforcer wordlessly nodded and stood up.

Upon their return, Tsunemori reported back to the chief, as the rest of the enforcers await for further orders. By the time she came back, she announced that the entire division is dismissed for now. She didn't hesitate to leave the office first, leaving the rest of the team (aside from Ginoza) puzzled as to what it was that was eating her.

Instinctively, all eyes turned to Hound 1, who wasn't aware of the unwanted attention. Kunizuka flickered her gaze at him briefly, only to turn away as she excused herself out of the office. The fact that he too had worn the same expression that inspector Tsunemori had was enough for the rest of them to put aside their questions and mind their own business.

Ginoza punched the button of the elevator, sighing despairingly as he waited.

_It shouldn't be something I should be worried about._

He repeatedly tried to convince himself that it was just a coincidence. That there was no way he could come back, regardless of how much they all wanted him back. Ginoza still cared, regardless, Kougami was his friend after all. But the odds measured out that there was no place for Kougami in a society like theirs even if he came back. Ginoza could only hope that his friend would still be out there, at the very least, living freely without any restraints or conflicts that bound him to a system.

* * *

The next day proved him wrong. Worst still, images of his friend displayed in the holo-screen, three years older than they had last seen him, a rifle in his hand in the midst of a war zone. The sight of it took all who knew of Kougami Shinya off-guard.

Tsunemori briefed them on the case, her voice remained firm and composed as she did so. Troubled looks emanated from Ginoza and Kunizuka. Those of them who had known the connection between her and Kougami couldn't hide their concerns. Inspector Shimotsuki's use of words to refer Kougami as a "runaway enforcer," and "fugitive" as an introduction didn't sit well with Ginoza. It was clearly evident that Tsunemori was shaken by this more than everyone else; each time the word "fugitive" was used, he saw a slight twinge in her expression.

With all members of Division 1 present, it made it harder for Ginoza in his hopes of wanting to discuss the matter privately with Tsunemori, or openly for that matter. Instead, deep inside he seethed at the facts that were laid out before them. Even the thought of Kougami sending troops over to Japan to wreak havoc was ludicrous to him. But with further investigations of the data collected from the memory scoop, it had become increasingly difficult to find evidence to counter the argument.

Soon after the division was notified that the other terrorist in captivity had the paralyzer effects worn off. Orders were then carried out for the suspect to be interrogated.

The entire office was lit with anxiety over the case for the entire day. Ginoza couldn't speak as much as he wanted to demand for more answers from the suspect. For the sake of his superior who was clearly fighting to be as objective and professional as possible towards the case. If she was able to handle herself with this, it gave him enough incentive to do the same.

"What can you tell me about this man?"

The criminal in question looked up at the screen. Ginoza's brow furrowed deeper at the display of the runaway enforcer commanding a squadron of soldiers. His fingers curled itself into fists in his pockets.

"If you don't talk, someone will."

"No one will tell you anything," the man muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"You animals lost the true sight of justice the moment you put your faith in an oracle machine," a clear display of human stubbornness emanated from the foreigner as he spoke. "Our wars won't make any sense to you now."

Throughout its entirety, the case seemed to be going nowhere. With the criminals detained either unable or unwilling to talk, it made things a lot harder to work around it. During their break, Ginoza could only watch as she leaned against the balcony, her eyes in view of the city with a cigarette in hand. Often times, she would find a solution in her silent sessions with the smoke that trailed from the smouldering embers. But even that has rendered it useless as she despairingly sighed.

_What are you thinking, _Ginoza wanted to ask her. _How are you coping with this? Slow down. _He wanted to help her. But when it came down to Kougami being the subject in question, he couldn't interfere or meddle with it. That was Kougami's job in the first place. Kougami was the first to see her potential. Kougami was the first to acknowledge her. And she in turn reciprocated the same amount of respect and trust that drew them together. Whether it had been romantic or had some form of affection between them, Ginoza understood that it was not his place to interfere with the bond that they had between them.

He could only learn to compromise with the situation. By the time some of the members' shifts were over, Tsunemori left the office, presumably visiting either the analyst or his former professor. Some of the members who never met Kougami personally had begun to take note on her frustrations.

_Perhaps, impatience might be a better word. _He was well aware of the contents of the letter he sent her before Kougami abandoned his post as an enforcer. Ginoza could only assume that, more than proving the man innocent before the system, Tsunemori would at the very least only hope for a sentence that didn't demand taking away Kougami Shinya's life. Or make him answer to justice for the crimes he had committed in the way that the runaway enforcer had asked her to do so. Either way, there was no hope of having either one of the scenarios played out, especially after this.

The day ended, having to see that the inspector had not returned to the office. He had no way of knowing just where everything was heading. Ginoza stayed behind, unconsciously hoping to see her face pop in the office at some point during the dead of night.

"Ginoza-san?"

The sound of her voice made him swivel his chair to see her standing by the office entrance.

"I thought your shift ended a while ago."

The familiar scent of tobacco lingered from her direction.

He was in the middle of writing the report regarding the capture of the terrorist group and the black market dealer.

"I just thought I should get these reports up to date," he said.

"Enforcers aren't paid for overtime work, Ginoza-san."

She sadly smiled. It was the first smile he had seen from her for an entire day.

"I'd rather get on top of things then having it drag to the end of the investigation."

He returned her smile with a faint smile of his own.

_How are you holding up? Don't rush things on this. Kougami made his choice. You don't have to feel responsible for that decision. _The words were stuck on his throat, unable to voice itself out. The last thing he wanted was losing another important person in his life.

"… I… I don't know where I'm going with this."

Her voice quivered a little.

"We have no leads other than the conflict in SEAUn. This entire time, Kougami-san was there."

Ginoza remained silent.

"We aren't going anywhere with the cards that we have here. The only way of knowing is by clarifying this with him."

The image of his dream flashed in his mind.

_"–Then I will have to go to him myself."_

The echoes of his dream led him to a conclusion.

"… Are you going to see him?"

She twitched at his words.

"Huh?"

"You intend to go over there to see him, aren't you?"

Her eyes reflected her determination.

"You look as though you've already made up your mind," Ginoza spoke in reverence, his hand on his left clenched into a fist. "…How long will you be away?"

"…I don't know," she said. "For as long as I have to until I find a way to get him back to clear this case."

Ginoza frowned.

"What do intend to do when you meet him?"

Hesitantly, she answered;

"… To be honest, I really don't know what I might do if I see him… I cannot forgive the Kougami-san who committed murder. It's something that he has to atone for regardless of my personal feelings. But before that, this case should be a priority."

_Are you going to shoot him? _Ginoza held back the words. Instead, he asked;

"When are you able to leave?"

"My application is still in the process of being approved."

"I see."

Her wrist-link rang out a notification, bringing her to frown once her eye fell upon the holo screen.

"Tsunemori speaking… Yes… I see… I'll be there shortly."

With the screen switched off, she turned to him apologetically.

"It's Chief Kasei," she explained, "I've been called to her office."

With those words, she turned her heel towards the hallway and strode to the direction of the head office.

His eyes fell onto the screen. _There's no way of stopping her once she made up her mind._

He switched the screens from his report document to a browser, typing down the words upon his immediate request to investigate the case overseas alongside his superior. At the very least, he thought that maybe having someone to escort her would ease him of his worries. Within the span of a few short minutes after sending the application, he received a notification that the request was denied. Several attempts were made to appeal for the overseas investigation, only to have each of them shot down.

With a heavy heart, he slumped to his seat. At times like these, he wished he could reclaim his position as an inspector, knowing that he'd have better luck with such a request. The world around him was slowly slipping from his fingers once more. He thought he could take it. Perhaps her leaving would be the straw that broke the camel's back as his fears were relived the day when Kougami had lost control over himself after the brutal death of Sasayama.

He tried to compose himself. Taking in deep breaths to stabilize his psycho pass, something in which his former-then-turned-suspect therapist had taught him before his demotion. Even though he could no longer care about how high his number had become, at the very least, he didn't want to lose his composure. He made one final attempt to apply for his deployment. This time, within less than a minute, the application was rejected without giving him a moment to reflect upon his request.

Upon his retirement during the night, he settled into his residence. He could only think about so much of where this investigation was heading. He barely touched his glass for the most part, as the anxiety had risen to the point where he feared that taking a nightcap would only bring him terrible dreams.

* * *

The day that followed felt more of an extension of the day before. This time, his shift was designated to another late-night session. It came with no surprise when he saw Tsunemori sitting on her desk.

"What did the chief say?" Ginoza asked, not making the effort to hide his curiosity.

"Kasei approved of my deployment," she said. "I'll be leaving tonight after my shift ends."

At her words, he lowered his chin with a curt nod. He settled onto his desk, switching his screens on and immediately set himself to work. A moment of silence ensued as his thoughts distracted him from his concentration.

_How are you feeling? Are you going to be alright? _He keenly wanted to voice out his words as he rehearsed them in his mind.

"Have you prepared for everything?" he asked out of the blue, pushing away the words he wanted to say.

"Hmm," she nodded, then paused. "Actually, Shion-san had volunteered to help me with that. I have to thank her for that when I come back."

"…when you come back," he muttered to himself. He couldn't be there with her to ensure her safety. In the end, the best he could do was to pray that she would come back home in one piece. For a moment, he returned to his work, only to find himself unable to concentrate even further.

He swiveled his chair towards her direction.

"I offered to come along, but they turned me down."

A faint smile crept up at his words as her eyes focused on the screen.

"I'm not surprised," she said, "Inspectors are never deployed abroad after all, let alone enforcers."

"I have a favor to ask."

"What is it?"

"If you manage to meet up with him, give him a punch for me."

Blinking at his words, her face fell to a frown as she stood up.

"I can't do that."

It took him by surprise.

"What?"

The inspector slung her bag over her shoulder and walked up to him.

"If I find him, I'll arrest him and bring him back." She raised her hands into fists, mimicking pseudo punches in the open air. "That way, Ginoza-san, I want you to punch him yourself."

For a moment, he saw the old, innocent smile she once wore in her rookie years. The cheekiness in her mannerism immediately dispelled the brooding atmosphere that had clouded his better judgement.

He couldn't help but laugh at how easy it took to ease him of his worries.

"I can't tell whether you've changed or not."

_You never really realized it, have you?_

He thought as he continued to speak.

"You're a mystery as always."

_How much you've given me in the last three years._

She walked past his desk as she turned her head to him one last time. A silent farewell with a smile on her face. He turned to her direction, eyeing her as she left the office. His worries had not been erased. And yet, after she left him in that note, it made it easier to handle.

_Please. I beg of you, stay safe._

**Chapter End Notes**

**With that in the end of the chapter, I would like to say a few things: a brooding Ginoza is actually a lot more difficult to handle. There's just so much room for mistakes and having to have written this angsty chapter while trying to keep in line the character was hard. (for real, I feel like I made him out to be like a teen in angst and I don't know how I am going to keep going with that). What do you guys think? Be honest. Also: Kougami. Considering these guys were actually good friends, with this idea that he actually is not necessarily the type to hold a grudge, I can safely assume that Ginoza may have been disappointed, but he was really more worried about Akane. Writing about this was also surprisingly hard. (if he were my own original character it would have been soo much easier to handle) Kou made his choice and Ginoza accepted it, but he knows that Akane follows and (in a sense) idolized an ideal version of Kougami. Knowing that he'll 'die a dog's death' with that path that Kou had set himself on, that last thing he wants was to have her meet the same fate.**  
**With that said, this was one of the reasons why I found myself shipping Ginaka in the end *cough* *cough*.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Notes**

**The conversation between Gino and Shimotsuki was actually based on the movie novel extract summary done by sora-namari's blog on tumblr. (Not my original scenario, but an interpretation of it) In all honesty, I was seriously debating whether I should add this scene for a while because for one, I feel that I am not doing this scene justice, two, this interpretation felt like too clunky or awkwardly put based on what was summarized in the blog.**

**At the same time, I feel that the conversation was a good highlight for both a subtle Ginaka moment as well as a good characterization for Shimotsuki's case. How I dealt with Shimotsuki was based off from an interview made by the staff in production of the series which really gave me a different perspective of Shimotsuki Mika's character.**

**I must say though, writing a Ginaka chapter without the 'Aka' in it didn't feel complete.**

It was 6:00 in the morning. Ginoza reclined against the railings of the balcony, staring out into the endless sky. In his wake he was overwhelmed by a wave of an unending solitude, his heart gripped with anxiety over the fact that he wasn't able to be there by her side. The world had grown colorless in his eyes despite the joyous breeze and the early morning sunrise.

Tsunemori's absence made him realize how much she had been a big part of his life. With her deployed overseas, he could only pray for her safety. An ingrained logic told him that if she were to be reunited with Kougami, there was a chance that he would either keep her safe or endanger her with his own actions.

He sighed despairingly as he watched the city move below him.

_She might have arrived there by now, _he thought.

"Tsunemori-sempai left Japan."

Ginoza turned to his side and found Shimotsuki a few paces away from him. It was rare to see Division 1's second in command to approach him.

He lowered his chin briefly, then said;

"Are you okay with that? Not going abroad to investigate with her?"

His words were met with a sour frown.

"There are other matters I have to attend to," she retorted, "after that, we make our move when the time comes."

"Is that so?"

He admitted, at least to himself how impressed he was at her ability to adapt with the situation despite the fact that the investigation was going nowhere.

A momentary silence followed, the balcony bathed by the warmth of the summer sun.

"As I thought," she flicked the spite off her tongue, "I said too much. This is why I hate enforcers."

He was prepared for such an attitude since the day he became an enforcer.

"No," she corrected herself grimly, "All latent criminals. I cannot forgive the lot of them. If all latent criminals were all annihilated, everyone would be living in peace."

"Would that include Kunizuka then?"

The young inspector jerked.

Normally, he was able to put up with that kind of attitude. However, at this point he wasn't in the mood of tolerating anything. The last thing he really wanted was to put up with someone else's problems. Without giving her a chance to say her piece, he continued;

"Masaoka, Kougami, Kagari, Kunizuka, Sugo, Hinakawa; we all became latent criminals not by a matter of choice. Everyone had their circumstances. It's true that there have been opportunities to recover, however, not everyone has that luxury even if they took the chance."

"… Kunizuka holds up a high respect for Tsunemori-sempai," she said, somehow hinting a twinge of jealousy, "I can't see just what it is in sempai that makes her so special."

For a moment, he saw a reflection of his past self in the young inspector. How he used to envy Kougami when he was able to work with his father. How at some point, he envied Tsunemori when she was able to keep a clear hue in the midst of the chaos. At the time, he often questioned why he couldn't do things as well as they did.

"When I was still in Oso Academy, my friend was killed by that latent criminal," she continued, her brows furrowed as she clenched at the balcony railings. "I read the report on Makishima's case. How he used people like Oryo Rikako as pawns for his own amusement. I don't care if she was nothing more than a pawn, its inexcusable. Its unforgivable that people like her are able to carry on with their lives, treating everything like its some sort of game. Living and breathing the same air as me."

He was well aware of the case. Division 1 was the one who took charge of the matter after all. Everyone from the old Division 1 all knew Shimotsuki was a product of that particular case. With that in mind they were able to empathize her treatment towards enforcers to a certain degree.

"I heard that Kougami Shinya was the one responsible for closing the case."

The name rang into his ears.

"I read his personal profile," she added, "The two of you graduated at the same time and have been colleagues. Just what kind of enforcer closes cases within less than a day and yet manages to end up becoming a leader of a terrorist group?"

Ginoza assumed she read Kougami's personal profile during the investigation. Although he couldn't imagine just what it was that led his friend to become the suspect in question, he could only make a conclusion as to what kind of man Kougami Shinya was.

"How I describe what kind of man Kougami Shinya is," he began after collecting his thoughts. "He's more or less like Charles Foster Kane."

"…Orson Welles," she muttered.

The enforcer blinked in surprised. He himself hadn't seen the film until he found it among his father's belongings.

"You know the movie?"

She shot him a glare.

"I was the top of my class in Oso Academy. Why Citizen Kane of all things?"

"Kane was," he began, "the main focus throughout the film despite the fact that he died in the very first scene. Everything he had done, everyone who associated with him, Kane became the main character despite his absence. The same thing can be said with Kougami. Everything that had a link with him was a _'rosebud_.'"

The sourness in her expression softened, only to contort itself to that of disdain. She appeared to have taken his words into account with that knowledge in the silence. Then out of the blue she turned the conversation back to her own frustrations.

"Tsunemori-sempai can't read the situation," she said bluntly. "There's obviously a ploy into this set up. How she treated this case was the same as she did back with Kamui's case; ignoring what the rest of the Division has to say on the matter. The Division 1 I knew that investigated the murders in Oso Academy was far different to how she's running it. Her deployment to SEAUn and not discussing it with the rest of us is proof of that."

He disagreed, but kept it all to himself. There was more than what meets the eye when it came to his former colleague. Since the beginning, she had been always been like that.

_She was never the kind of person who had such intentions._

At the same time he couldn't help but take note of how sharp Shimotsuki was to able to pick up on some of the areas she pointed out.

"I see," he said, "I think I'm able to understand just a little bit more about inspector Shimotsuki."

Apparently his words didn't sound pleasant to her ears. The sourness in her face returned.

"Don't be ridiculous, idiot."

She left the scene within a heartbeat, leaving him to see her disappear from his view. He lifted his gaze to the clear blue sky. The warmth of the sun had begun to heat up the metal plates of his prosthetic arm, the summer breeze whipping the bundle of hair tied behind his back.

_Hang in there._

* * *

Day 1 since Tsunemori's absence. Already, a pile of evidence were uncovered in the investigation. Things like the history of how the Shamballa Float was created, and how the military operative decided to take over the island. Taking these into account, some of them questioned how was it possible for a military coup to remain clear in the eyes of the Sybil System.

Hinakawa and Sugo appeared to be unsettled by the inspector's absence. For the most part, the team were forced to adapt to Shimotsuki's way of handling things, regardless of how they felt. On Ginoza's part, he found it easier to put up with her after their conversation earlier, as it allowed him to see her in a different perspective. The way she had handled everything brought him to acknowledge her capabilities as an inspector. But then again, inspectors like Shimotsuki were supposed to be a shining example of what the MWSB was all about.

In the first place, Tsunemori, Kougami and Ginoza himself were never like other inspectors in the history of MSWB. Ginoza at some point as an inspector made decisions through a loop hole for the sake of the rest of the team, Kougami was just sharp as Ginoza as an inspector, but approached the matter using uncanny methods in order to close the case or gain favorable results. Tsunemori on the other hand was altogether unprecedented and unpredictable in her way of handling everything.

With that in mind, he was reminded of the true nature of their line of work. Enforcers were hunting dogs who don't deserve to be treated like human beings. Tsunemori in a sense, spared them from that notion and often put herself before everyone, following an old ideology where everyone was just as human regardless of how cloudy their psycho pass was.

The day ended with that in mind, admitting that he was at a loss even though one day has passed since her deployment.

The subject of a military coup running Shamballa float came as an afterthought not long before he submitted himself to a slumber.

* * *

Day 2 since Tsunemori's departure. The one day he was supposed to have a day off was disrupted by lack of staff in the division. Taking into account from what they gathered, they were able to trace the company who manufactured the hi-tech gadgets found in the terrorist's possessions. The team gathered to the sight, after numerous interrogations within the higher-ups, Shimotsuki then declared to the team to go back. With a pile of evidence they gathered, Ginoza who had already been suspicious of it from the very beginning had begun to question just how much of the Japanese government had been involved with the attack.

The endless questions that raced through his head were quickly dismissed the moment Shimotsuki was called to the head office. She returned to the office with a cold front as she announced to cease the investigation at once as ordered by the chief and await for Tsunemori's report from overseas.

Ginoza was familiar with it. Too familiar with the matter as it played itself out the same way it did with the Makishima case. The fact that the chief would demand something so unreasonable as to calling for the investigation to be put to a halt had merely confirmed his suspicions. The case itself had something to do with the top brass keeping secrets that they cannot afford to let the general public know about.

He held himself back from wanting to speak his mind about the matter. He knew this was something even an inspector can't do anything about.

_If she were here, _He thought.

His gaze returned to the desk where the missing inspector was designated to.

* * *

Day 3 since Tsunemori's absence. Ginoza visited the analyst lab where Karanomori Shion was station in. With the team being put on standby, he couldn't sit idly still in his residence.

"Any word from inspector Tsunemori?"

"She hasn't contacted me yet I'm afraid," the analyst replied, puffing out small plumes of smoke.

"… I see," he sat down onto the couch, watching as the glare that omitted from the screens flashing from one document file to another. The sound of nails dancing around the tablet keyboard echoed in the office.

"How are you going with everything, with Akane-chan leaving so suddenly?"

He lifted his head a little, a light scoff escaped from him. The way she threw the question at him so casually, it almost caught him off-guard. At the same time, it came to no surprise that he couldn't expect anything less from someone of her caliber.

"… Does it look that obvious to you?" he said, pulling a half-smiled on his face.

She cocked her head to the side, swiveled her chair to face him.

"Oh, but you know Ginoza-kun, you probably don't realize this," she said, "But on the night before she left Japan, Akane-chan was worried about you."

He blinked at her words.

"Before she left, she stopped by my office," she continued, "I know it's not my place to tell you this, but Akane-chan did mention you were probably more affected by the case more than she was."

"That–"

"–Is not necessarily the case," she interjected his words. "I know. Based on your reaction, you probably thought that she was just as shaken as she assumed you were."

"Hmph," he said defeatedly. "Nothing seems to escape from you, Karanomori-san."

"It's a hobby of mine to see how everyone around is doing," she winked.

He chuckled mirthlessly at how it must have been blatantly obvious to see how big of an impact it made on him.

Whether it had been due to the fact that the matter had been weighing on his mind, or that he knew it would be pointless to deny anything before the alluring analyst he began;

"…She already has a lot on her plate."

He entwined the mismatched hands together as he continued.

"An inspector's job demands a lot out of one person. The burden she carries with her since the day Kougami left; it's something that she can't let go of. Her ideals, her burdens, it's just too much for one person to handle alone. I can only do so much with what I can give. Maybe I'm just tired. Tired of seeing people fall and disappear within an instant. Maybe that's why I can't settle down."

There was a short silence.

"Sorry," he said, "I probably said something unnecessary."

"No," she shook her head, "on the contrary, I think you just said what everyone else had in mind."

She swiveled her chair back towards the desk, resuming her post.

"Akane-chan and Ginoza-kun," she said to herself, "the two of you need to go out at some point."

The words clicked in his head a few short seconds after she spoke.

"…H-huh?"

He felt the temperature rising to his ears.

The sound of clacking of keys ceased.

"Ah, sorry," she said in a playful manner as she swiveled her chair back to his direction, "I only meant that the two of you deserve to have a–"

She stopped at her words briefly at the sight of a flustered Ginoza.

"Oh my," she said, clearly amused. "…As I said, I only meant that the two of you deserve to have a break."

He covered the lower half of his face to hide the blush on his cheeks as he turned his head towards the direction of the wall.

Then as an afterthought she added;

"Oh, but I wouldn't mind if the two of you were to end up together."

"It won't work," he muttered.

He cleared his throat and continued in a clearer voice;

"It's impossible. There's no way it could work. She's an inspector, I'm an enforcer. There's no point in something as troublesome as that. It would give her more problems."

"And you are okay with that?" she said teasingly.

"What are you talking about?"

"You like Akane-chan right?"

She said her words so bluntly he sputtered.

"…Wait, wait, wait," he said. "How–"

The analyst was clearly bemused at his reactions.

_Wait. She knows. Does this mean everyone knows?_

She gave a long satisfied sigh and returned to her desk.

"Sorry," she said, resuming back to her work. "Looks like I said too much."

"… No," he said. "It's alright… but… is it that obvious?"

"Well," she took a drag from the cigarette and blew more plumes of smoke, "who knows."

He sighed exasperatingly.

"Even if that were to be the case," he quickly said, "Inspector Tsunemori… supporting her, I learned how to be proud of myself. Any further than that could only put her job in jeopardy."

He stood up and made his way towards the exit.

"Too bad," she said carelessly, "the two of you work so well together."

"You're right," he said before he left the analyst lab, "You have said too much."


	10. Chapter 10

Day 4 since Tsunemori's absence. In his morning ritual which involved watering his potted plants, a marsh-mallow plant had begun to flower. Soft, delicate, baby-pink flowers hung from its stems, almost hidden from his view by its own leaves. For a brief moment, he couldn't help but compare the little flower to the missing inspector. When the thought had voiced itself out, he quickly banished it from his mind. Four days in and he was already losing his head around it.

It wasn't in his nature to sit around and succumb to the gloom forever. He decided that there has to be something he could do while she was away. With the investigation put to a halt, he couldn't sit well with the idea of not being able to contribute while the inspector was investigating overseas. The only thing he could do was resume to his shift when the hour comes.

He entered into the sparing rooms. To his surprise, Hinakawa was there in his attempt to spar with a sparring drone, its holo appearance likened to that of a merciless, muscular opponent. For a brief second, Ginoza would have sworn the drone looked unbelievably real.

Within less than a minute, the red-haired enforcer was down for the count.

"… Are you alright?"

Ginoza asked.

"Ah," the red-head stuttered, fumbling to sit up. "I-I'm alright."

The drone stood idly still. When Hinakawa picked himself up, he went straight for the charge. The end result was just the same, except this time he managed to stay on his feet for at least under two minutes.

Ginoza rarely had a proper conversation with Hinakawa, but seeing how the young man had continuously allowed himself to get beaten, he couldn't sit idly by.

"You set the bar too high," he said, "At the very least, set it at a level where you're able to fend for yourself."

The red-haired enforcer huffed as he managed to pick himself up again.

"I…I just wanted to get a little stronger," the young man fidgeted his words.

Ginoza took a good look at the frail, lanky figure and compared it to the masculine holo that was embedded onto the drone.

"There's no need to rush things," he assured him, "Just take one step at a time and you'll get there."

"B-but," his words hesitant to continue, "At this point… I won't… be able to match up to everyone…"

For a moment he paused at Hinakawa's words. _He too, wants to be of help to her…._

"Don't worry about that," he said, "You're still young. You may have a long road ahead of you, but, I assure you won't be left behind."

_If Dad were here, he'd probably say the exact same thing._

In the end, Ginoza found himself giving the young man some advice on how to defend himself at very least. Hinakawa in turn, with a lot of courage, managed to voice out how he too wanted to protect Tsunemori in his own way. Regardless of whether it was genuine curiosity, Ginoza pondered why the young man would refer her as 'Onee-chan' for that matter. He could only do so much as to guess his reasons, but decided that would be too impersonal to pose the question. Not wanting to disturb him even further, Hinakawa excused himself even though Ginoza didn't mind it one bit.

Having taken note on his determination, Ginoza was once again reminded that he wasn't the only one who was concerned. The drone's holo was switched off when Hinakawa left, and so when he turned it back on, it came with no surprised to find out that the holo Hinakawa used was something of his own creation. Ginoza couldn't help but pity the young talented ex-holo designer. It was a shame his talent wouldn't be recognized due to his status.

Having to practice his Judo skills on the drone, the memory of last night's conversation in the lab thoughtlessly appeared.

_"__The two of you need to go out at some point."_

Within that instant, the drone managed to floor him onto the mat. He swore to himself for getting distracted as he sat up and tightened the elastic that held his hair up.

_It's impossible. There's no point in dwelling on that._

Having said that in mind, he let out his frustrations onto the drone, managing to floor it by grappling onto it and throwing it over his head. The drone jerked as an aftereffect. Apparently he must have thrown it hard enough to possibly cause a minor malfunction on the machine.

Somehow he understood that he did have that choice; drawing the line between him and his superior before things had gotten too intimate for his part. But it was already too late. He was passed the point of no return. Karanomori's careless teasing had only made it difficult to swallow the already un-reciprocated status. Her words had only planted a seed of unrest of an impossible relationship.

Settling onto the bench, he grabbed the towel and wiped the glistening sweat off his face with a frustrated grunt.

_I can't let this get the better of me._

Not long after he finished drying himself from a shower, he received a notification that all members of Division 1 are called in for an urgent meeting. Apparently, Tsunemori sent word to the analyst regarding her findings from her investigation.

With the data collected from the deployed inspector, the crime-coefficient of almost every warrant military officer in government were falsified and that the entire Shamballa float was surrounded by latent criminals. Based on their findings, Shimotsuki concluded that there has been a manipulation of the system and that it appeared as though the system itself was unable to rectify the situation in its initial stages when it was first embedded into the city.

Two particular cases in the past forced him to accept the fact that even the oracle known as the Sybil system had its flaws. But never had he expected that the system could learn to 'tolerate' the injustice that took place under its very eyes.

Having analysed the data by Karanomori, evidence shown the 'friend-and-foe' program was implanted onto the cymatic scans in order to get passed their regular hue checks.

"What about Inspector Tsunemori?" Sugo stood up from his seat, "If what you say is exactly how things are going to play out, she's not safe there."

"There's no need to get riled up about this, enforcer," Shimotsuki reprimanded. "Obviously since the very beginning, the whole thing was a ruse. Having a certain run-away enforcer involved was just an excuse to send her away. Chief Kasei gave the order to deploy the rest of Division 1 to SEAUn. With the pill bugs she implanted into the city, it will disable the friend-and-foe program and the Sybil system will take control. By the time Sybil takes over Shamballa Float, we will make our move and rescue Inspector Tsunemori."

_Chief Kasei._

He lowered his chin. In the end, even Tsunemori would be played by the hands of the head of staff of the CID. He himself was once played by her under orders of the top brass, seeking for desirable results at the expense of the people involved. Ginoza silently seethed despite his calm exterior.

Requests were made to have the best equipment carried with them, so it came to no surprise that the assault Dominator came as part of the package. The weapon that was used on Inspector Aoyonagi during that fateful hostage crisis. Sugo couldn't stomach the idea of handling the weapon after he pulled the trigger on his late superior. The last thing he wanted was shooting another inspector. Ginoza assured him that it would take a lot more than being surrounded by latent criminals to cloud Tsunemori's hue. But seeing how Sugo's distrust in himself was clearly evident, the green-eyed enforcer offered to take his place.

Climbing on board the helicopter, the aircraft lifted off the helipad as it flew far up north to their destination.

"Do you really think you can keep hiding all of this?"

Tsunemori curled her hands into fists as her bindings scraped the skin of her wrists.

"How are you going to explain this to Chairman Han?!"

At those words, the mercenary smirked.

"Chairman Han?"

"The Japanese Government won't stay quiet about this either. They're sure to do a detailed investigation!"

Rutaganda gave her a pitiful smile.

"There's been a situation," Shimotsuki announced while the team was still on flight, "The system is rebooting at 97% percent. Karanomori has just announced that Tsunemori-sempai was taken by the military officials."

Ginoza's heart stopped.

"I need every one of you to take your positions," she continued on, "One false move and we won't be able to fulfill our objective."

"Roger," all four enforcers said in unison as they stood up to enter into the open barrage section of the aircraft. Kunizuka began booting up the charges for the Assault Dominator as Ginoza and Sugo began setting up the weapon's position.

"Are sure you're okay doing this instead of me?" Sugo asked in earnest.

"Hmm," Ginoza nodded, his face morose yet solemn at the situation.

_Hang in there, Tsunemori._

"What a pitiful stooge," he said. "She didn't know what her master's right hand was doing while allowing the left hand to work her to the bone. Hey Miss, what if I told you that we are co-operating with the Japanese Government's plan?"

Kougami squinted at the mechanized mercenary.

"Isn't that right Colonel?" he continued, "We took out Chairman Han's request while the Japanese government provided us a body double as a stand in."

"Sybil system rebooting at 100%! Ten seconds till the takeover!" Kunizuka hollered from where she stood.

The two enforcers finished setting up. Sugo came into his position and clipped the harness to the rope provided within the flying vehicle. Ginoza managed to do the same, his thoughts running mad with desperate prayers.

_Come on, _he gritted his teeth. _Please make it in time!_

_The Chairman Han I know isn't the real one, _the Tsunemori furrowed her brows. _Of course, it could only mean–_

"Oi!" Colonel Wong barked at the mercenary. "Don't let another word slip."

He turned towards her direction.

"Shoot them, now!"

She crouched into a ball, closing her eyes in anticipation for the end as the sound of metal casings rang out onto the grated floor as the loud pangs of gunfire rung into her ears. She opened her eyes to find that not only was she and Kougami were unharmed, a pool of blood was spilled onto the grated floor as the two men collapsed.

"Oi, Nicholas!"

Tsunemori jolted at the sight whereas Kougami never managed to flinch at the sight of blood. Two drones shot down their executioners.

"What the hell is it doing?!"

The long-haired Colonel checked at his wrist-link. His holo-screen flashed red as a Kommissa mascot appeared and declaring that there has been a violation of the terms of the agreement in their use of the system and that the Japanese government will now be restoring public order.

Immediately, the drones surrounding them switched their logos into that of the MWSB logo, pointing their barrels at the soldiers before them. The helicopters on auto-drive air-lifted and surrounded the barracks.

"The System is now online!" the female enforcer declared, "Grab hold onto something! Hound 1, ready your position!"

"Roger," Ginoza responded, his flesh hand clutching the trigger.

With the help of the Assault Dominator in hand, his line of sight zoomed into what appeared to be the figure of a man in uniform standing before the inspector in captive. From the angle the helicopter was in, he was unable to see the face of the figure adjacent to Tsunemori.

Before his fears voiced itself, he silenced it as he focused on the two crime-coefficient numbers in his line of sight.

One belonged to the man in the uniform. While the other…

_Kougami's crime coefficient…_

Colonel Wong contorted his face into fury as he slowly raised his weapon.

"These outsiders… DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!"

He saw the man in uniform raise a firearm to the inspector. Ginoza knew just who it was he had to take out.

_"__Crime Coefficient over 380. Enforcement Mode: Lethal Eliminator."_

The inspector instinctively moved her head down, the bullet managing to miss her by a matter of inches.

She would have sworn she saw a beam of light flashing at the Wong's shoulder.

Within a split second, she gaped as she saw the colonel's body exploded into a heap of flesh with his hand sent flying to where Kougami was tied to.

A brutal death like that could only be caused by a Dominator.

The soldiers panicked into a gun-crazed state as they began to shoot at the drones, only to be shot down by the counter-attack.

"Did you get him?!"

Ginoza lifted his head from the long-ranged weapon and stared at the bloodshed that took place. As horrifying as it was to see it happening before his very eyes, for the first time in his life, his action prevented another tragedy from unfolding in his life of losing someone again. But there was no time to be relieved and so he positioned himself to see other potential targets under his radar.

What came after was a series of everything coming all at once. Numerous of soldiers died within the range of the drones, whilst small explosives were fired onto the helicopter to prevent others from escaping.

When the Assault Dominator had reached its limit, Ginoza was ordered to put aside the weapon and begin preparation to land from the air. With the four enforcers ready with their harnesses secured, they made a smooth landing and reunited with the missing inspector.

The Kunizuka, Sugo and Ginoza explained how Karanomori was able to determine that the cymatic scanners were illegally modified. By the time Shimotsuki joined them, having given her the hard truth of the nature of the case, Ginoza knew that Division 1's second-in-command was without a doubt right as much as he would have wanted to say something on Tsunemori's behalf.

The fact that the system had used Kougami as bait to lure her to tread on dangerous waters had not only upsetted her, but Ginoza as well. But as an enforcer, he had no right on having a say on this.

Shepard 1 in turn took the matter with a grain of salt and decided to go along with the situation. Taking her position she immediately assigned Kunizuka, Hinakawa and Sugo to Shimotsuki, while she assigned Hound 1 to her to arrest the Chairman.

For an unfounded reason, deep inside he couldn't settle down as he followed her lead towards the official's building. After four days of being unable to see her and to suddenly be reunited almost felt as though the days she went away was suddenly overwritten, as if she never left in the first place.

The fact that Kougami is in the same soil had only made him more unsettled, especially after seeing how high his crime coefficient had become.

As they approached the building, Tsunemori slowed down to a halt.

"From this point, I'll be going alone."

From his view, he saw her back straightened and unfaltering.

"What's going on?"

He asked.

"Ginoza-san, I want you to chase after Kougami."

His mind clicked as he figured what it was she wanted him to do.

"Meaning, I can deal with him however I'd like?"

"I'll leave it you."

With one quick glance, he turned around and unquestioningly left the inspector alone. In his mind he knew the Chairman posed no threat as far as he understood. But regardless of the matter, Ginoza knew that it was time to settle the ghost that haunted them for three years and to put it to rest.

**Chapter End Notes**

**Phew. THANK GOD THIS CHAPTER IS OVER! Sorry. I have been wanting to this scene down for soo long and to finally get it done was so much worth it in the end. How things are going to go from here on out? Well, next chapter's gonna be difficult with another action sequence that I may or may not write in detail or in summary. People who watched the film already knows what I'm talking about. (*FALCON-PUNCHING* on our lovable fugitive ;)**


	11. Chapter 11

The enforcer hastened his way towards the direction where he last spotted his long-lost friend. Pushing aside his own sentiments, he carried himself over towards the building.

_I won't let him get away this time._

Having to work as an enforcer had not only sharpened his senses, in a sense it brought out what he called a "hunting dog's" instinct out of him. The first time he referred it as that before Tsunemori a few months after his demotion, she had been upset with how low he had regarded himself and reprimanded him.

After finding a trail of blood and a large pile of casings, he saw the military elevator shaft moving levels below him. Seeing this, he took the stairwell and caught up to it. The elevator platform lowered down, only to find a large, muscular man pointing down a combat knife to Kougami's face as the man struggled to hold him back. Ginoza pressed the stop button on the elevator and rushed into the scene.

With the two men in a struggle, both were unaware of the elevator ceased to a halt temporarily, Ginoza charged his way towards the scene and kicked the combat knife off the mercenary's grip. It sent the burly man away from Kougami as Ginoza immediately stood back a good distance away to ready his position.

Before he could aim the Dominator properly at the man, the mercenary picked himself up, grabbed hold of his wrist and kicked the weapon off his grip. The Dominator crackled and buzzed at the impact, rendering it useless. Given no time to think, the enforcer began throwing punches at him. With the amount of brute strength that his opponent had, Ginoza found himself on a defensive position.

Before long, Kougami joined the fight, throwing some of his moves on the man, only to be pushed to the floor. Ginoza attempted to hold his position, only to be floored by the arm. Kougami tried to do a number on the man for a third attempt, only to be kicked to the floor.

Ginoza picked himself up and this time, the one-armed man charged at him. Ginoza grappled him and used his judo skills to roll the man over his head and onto the floor. This time, Ginoza didn't let him go and held the man down.

"Surrender!"

He commanded as he pinned the man down.

The mercenary twitched as he cocked his head to the side against the floor. From where he stood, Ginoza saw a ghost of smile on the man's face.

Given no time to comprehend what was about to happen, Kougami ran towards them and grabbed hold of the mercenary's head. He twisted the man's neck without a second thought; the sound of bones breaking echoed in the elevator shaft.

Ginoza, gasping for air from the fight, took one good look at the man he pinned down and looked up to his friend, meeting his gaze with a smug look on his face.

_Unbelievable, _the only thought he could conjure from what he had just seen.

Just when he was about to speak, a _clink _was heard from the lifeless body. His trauma of explosives allowed the enforcer to identify the difference between the sound of tinkering and the sound of a detonation. The two men scrambled away from the body before it exploded into smithereens.

Plumes of smoke rose from what was left of the corpse, only to be blown away by the wind that seeped through the elevator shaft. In the clearing, Ginoza found himself a few feet away from Kougami. Adjacent to where he stood was a revolver. He picked up the firearm and pointed it at his friend.

To think that he'd be pointing a weapon at his friend for the second time.

To think that they'd meet again in such an auspicious timing.

To think that after three years, killing a man by a flick of the wrist became the most natural thing to Kougami.

_Unbelievable, _the thought repeated itself. To think, that this was the same man who brought out Tsunemori's potential. The same man who haunted them for three years through the marks he left behind.

Whether Kougami was still the same man he knew since his rookie years or not, there was one certainty that Ginoza could think of.

_I cannot let this man become the end of her career._

It wasn't the matter of selfishness of having her to himself. He was more than willing to give her up if it entails her happiness. But the reality set before him made him realize how much Kougami will inevitably become her downfall if she pursued him any further.

Ginoza watched him with cold eyes. Kougami in turn, lowered his head, as though he was willing to accept his fate for everything in the past.

He had a choice. Arresting him was an option. But recalling the high number written on his crime coefficient he saw when he used the assault dominator, Ginoza could only shudder at the inevitable.

"Kougami."

Ginoza took a few steps closer to his friend.

_There could only be one option._

He presented the gun before his friend's face.

"I owe you one."

"…Gino."

His friend's puzzlement was evident.

"Leave. Now."

Ginoza began, remembering the words she said to him before she left.

_"…It's something that he has to atone for regardless of my personal feelings..."_

"She isn't as soft as me," he added. "She will never forgive you, who have committed murder. Don't show your face in front of us again. Don't make Inspector Tsunemori shoulder any more burdens than she already has."

Kougami furrowed his brows at his words, but not out of anger. Standing up, his friend asked;

"…Are you okay with that?"

"Hmph." He could only do so much as scoffing at such a question with sad smile on his face. "I've learned how to compromise."

He took one last good look at his friend.

Ginoza clenched his flesh hand into a tight fist and hammered it onto Kougami's already wounded face.

"And now we're even."

After he fulfilled his objective, Ginoza turned around and left his friend out cold on the hard floor.

For sure, there were too many things that were left unsaid. Although Ginoza had allowed Kougami to leave the team once before, but that was only under the condition that he'd be observed under Aoyonagi at the time. When Kasei caught them in the act, Kougami did the unthinkable and broke the rules for the sake of making Makishima answer to justice for all the crimes he's committed.

The last thing he would want was to have Tsunemori do the same for Kougami. Given that her ideals were a testimony of her faith in the spirit of justice and not of the Sybil system, she could easily abandon everything the very moment a crime goes unpunished.

That much of it he understood from someone who saved his life from the unending torment of guilt and abandonment.

* * *

It was a day and half since the raid on the Helipad. With the remaining soldiers who were deemed fit for Sybil's standards, they were rounded up and re-assigned into positions that seemed beneficial to their abilities.

_As to be expected, _Akane thought, sitting on the steps outside of the Chairman's office building. _Even after I said my piece, they always managed to have the last say._

Her thoughts returned to the events that built up to this point.

_"If ever either one of us were to make it out alive," _she remembered him saying, _"Come find me again."_

Again, he asked for the impossible from her. Once more, she was made to face a cruel reality that what they have could never bear fruit for as long as the two of them would stand on two opposite ends of a pole.

Perhaps, it was fruitless in the first place. A bond that they shared that couldn't even be defined as something extravagant like romance but not something that could be belittled as friendship. Mutual understanding, rather, a comradery of sorts.

The truth was that she didn't really know what it was in the first place. Had they been given more time to spend together, she wouldn't deny the possibility that the two of them could have been something more than just mutual understanding.

_Did I wish for that? _The mind stirs her heart like a bird caught in a storm. _Do I really want that from him?_

She did care. She still does. And that was why she couldn't settle down when she first found out about his involvement in this conflict. Everything that had been building up to this point only brought her back to the same end as the Makishima case.

He showed up, stirred everything up and left. Leaving a trail of pieces for her to pick up and follow him.

If it was the 20 year-old Tsunemori, she wouldn't hesitate to chase him. But three years have already passed. There were other matters that she needed to attend to. She didn't know if she still had the stamina to keep going. She grew up, and there were other priorities.

She grew up, and yet in Kougami's presence, he easily stripped away the front that she had built up for three years. And now that he disappeared once more, she could only do so much as to decide just what she can do from this point onwards.

With the announcement declaring Han's resignation on the air, she wouldn't expect anything less from cluster of criminally asymptomatic brains. At the very least, she was able to fulfil at least one wish that Kougami had fought for.

"What honeyed words did you whisper into his ear?"

A familiar, deep baritone voice asked her from behind.

She didn't need to turn her head around to know just who it was.

"I didn't really," she answered as she continued reflecting on the issue. "I just asked him to make the optimal decision."

She heard the sound of footsteps descending.

"You look like you're carrying a burden that's way too heavy for you."

In his presence, she was comfortable enough to admit to a few of her thoughts to the man who built a habit of concerning himself with her problems.

It was one of the few things from Ginoza that she never got tired of.

"Kougami-san disappeared again, didn't he?"

"Sorry," he said, "the Dominator got destroyed in the last minute. It was my fault."

Hearing those words, she was convinced there must have been more to the story than just the matter of a broken Dominator as an excuse.

"It isn't like him to shoot you and run away."

"… He's changed," his voice shifted to a saltier mood, "Now he's just a villain. He's not the man for you to cling to. Even if we leave him be, he'll wind up dead somewhere in the end."

"Ginoza-san." she said, standing up from steps. "You never changed. You always carry everything alone."

The fact that he still cares after all these years never bothered her one bit. Having spent so much time together in those late-night shifts allowed her to see the meaning behind his hard words.

She turned around, her eyes met his and smiled.

_Thank you, _she said silently, _for always looking out for me._

He returned her smile with a warm smile of his own, something she missed seeing in the time when she was away.

There were some things that remained unsettled. But for the first time in a long time, she was ready to accept that some things were just meant to be left unspoken.

* * *

On their journey back, Akane sat on the seat adjacent to Shimotsuki. Initially assuming that Sugo was the one who made the shot back there when Wong was about to shoot her, she didn't hesitate to ask if he really was the one who saved her.

Sugo refutably shook his head.

"I'm afraid to disappoint you, inspector," he said.

"It wasn't you?"

"It wasn't."

She turned to Kunizuka, who immediately shook her head.

Apparently it wasn't her either.

Instead, the blue-eyed enforcer pointed her gaze towards Ginoza's direction. Hinakawa too pointed his gaze towards him.

Akane followed the direction of their gazes, her brow slightly raised upon the revelation.

The unsuspecting enforcer happened to have his eyes closed with his arms folded as he leaned against the wall, completely unaware of the silent gestures pointing towards him.

_Why didn't he say anything?_

The inspector frowned.

She didn't like that. The low regard towards himself. There was a limit to how much he could refuse in taking the credit. Especially now when he had just saved her life.

She opened her mouth to speak, but the words refused to voice itself out. At the very least, she would rather have this discussion privately with him rather than in the company of others.

The senior inspector reclined on her seat, and remained silent for the rest of the journey.


	12. Chapter 12

Ginoza stopped at his tracks on his way to the office. For the second time, he saw the senior inspector asleep and defenceless. This time she was sleeping in the lounging area by the balcony entrance.

It's been two weeks since they returned from SEAUn. With the lack of manpower within the CID, Division 1 had been busier with the amount of cases they had been dealing with. Their involvement with the conflict within Shamballa float was just the tip of the iceberg. Needless to say that the amount of work had begun to overwhelm the entire team.

And so it came to no surprise that Ginoza would find Tsunemori working overtime. The amount of work that piled up had given them little to no opportunity to have a proper conversation.

_Maybe this was for the best, _he thought, despite the pain in his chest that told him otherwise.

He knew that he was taking advantage of the situation. With Karanomori's words hovering over his head here and there, it made it difficult for him to face her. The amount of work they had to do was a good reminder that the only reason he still remained in the CID was only for the sake of catching criminals. Had it not been for that position, he would have remained within the isolation facility. It had also proved to him that it was good distraction from his own feelings.

With the summer drawing to a close within the next few weeks, the chill of autumn had already begun to creep in the wind. He took off his jacket and draped it over the front of her shoulders to keep her warm. With Tsunemori fast asleep, he could only presume that she had been in the office since the night before. Light purple bruises could be seen under her eyes.

_That's not good. She needed to take care of herself a little bit more_.

Although it's commendable to have her dedicated to her job, there was a limit to how much she could take.

He looked at his wrist-link to check the time. His shift was going to begin in a matter of minutes. But he couldn't afford to leave her in the lounge alone even though the MWSB tower was the safest place she'll ever be. He considered waking her up, but judging from her eyes, he felt that she deserved to remain undisturbed. Having to be torn between leaving her alone and risk being late for his shift, he couldn't decide just what he could do.

"… -san…"

She muttered under her breath.

"Tsunemori?"

He said quietly.

Seeing her shoulders under his jacket rise and fall steadily, he decided to sit next to her.

_I suppose being late once in a while shouldn't be too problematic._

With her small figure asleep before him, a fragment of his brain conjured up the image of her in his arms. Her leaning against him as he caressed her hair and cheek. Him dipping his head towards her to meet her lips with his…

His bionic arm held his flesh arm. The metal fingers slowly squeezed the muscles of his arm to hold himself back till he writhed in pain. When it did, he let go, expecting that it would leave him marks. He needed to be reminded. That not everything should be as he hoped it could happen.

"…mi…san…"

She muttered again.

The man took one good look at the sleeping figure. Her uttering the last two syllables gave away just who it was that haunted her dream.

"… Don't… go…"

_That bastard, _he thought. It wasn't like she could ever forget him within that instant. He should have expected this. Seeing Kougami after three long years, only to have him leave would be enough to leave another emotional dent on her.

But Ginoza knew that he couldn't afford to let her chase after him. Not for as long as Kougami remained in the field of chaos and conflict. With that in mind, he knew he was partly the blamed for his friend's escape this time.

Her breathing hitched as her eyelashes glistened with little tears. Before long she was breathing heavily with her mouth open as the tears streamed down. Her dream was slowly turning into a nightmare.

He couldn't stand it any further.

"Tsunemori," he shook her by the shoulders. "Tsunemori."

Her eyelids flung open, gasping for air as her body jerked forward from the back-rest in her wake.

Ginoza quickly leaned in and placed his hand on her back and drew small circles with his palm to calm her down. Sobs escaped from her as she dipped her head to her knees, her hands clenched on her lap.

"Shhhh," he hushed as he watched her shoulders heaved. "Calm down, Tsunemori. It's just a dream."

He grabbed the jacket that fell to her lap and placed it over her shoulders. His put his hand on her back once more, this time he stroked her back in short vertical lines. Slowly, her breathing returned to a normal pace. She turned to him, her cheeks wet with tears.

"…Ginoza-san…"

"Wash your face," he immediately said. "We can talk right after."

She touched her face and appeared startled at the tears that she wiped from her cheeks. With the back of her hands she wiped the rest of it away.

"…Sorry," she said.

"Don't apologize and go," he said without making an attempt to hide his concerns. He took his hand away to let her go.

At his urging, she reluctantly stood up and left the room, rubbing her eyes as she did so. Unaware that the jacket was still over her shoulders.

He made a long sigh as he slouched onto the back rest. He raised the hand that touched her in his view and clenched it into a fist.

_So much for holding back._

* * *

She startled at the sight of her own face. Looking in the mirror, she saw the dark circles under her eyes, seeing how swollen they were.

It was a good thing Ginoza had urged her to wash her face. Had she returned to the office appearing like that, it would make everyone worried. It was bad as it is with the team working under pressure with the intimidating amount of paperwork. The last thing she wanted was to add the tension in the room.

She recalled the segments of her dream. The golden field of wheat. The sight of Kougami leaving. Her seeing a distraught Ginoza crying over the body of his father.

For a period of time her dreams were plagued by silhouettes of Makishima, Kougami and at times Kagari and Masaoka. And then at times she would dream of that day, how she was sent tumbling off the truck and into the field of wheat. Condescending whispers of Makishima that told her not to interfere. The silhouette of Kougami's broad back as he held the gun with his two hands, chasing after the clear-hued criminal. Her screaming his name as her heart begged him not to leave.

Until this very day, she was forever haunted by it. A regret that she held in her heart of letting him go.

She splashed her face with cold water several times as the tap water flowed endlessly. Hoping to wash away the dreading emotions that clung to her. She couldn't afford to have her lose face before her teammates. Since the Kamui incident, she made her resolve to become a fully-fledged detective, deciding not to rely on the shadows of Kougami's insight.

When she reached for a handkerchief she was made aware of the weight of the jacket that hung from her back. The scent of his cologne lingered in the fabric.

Wiping her face with her hankerchief, she took the jacket off her shoulder and held it at an arm's length before her.

_I suppose I owe him an explanation._

She folded the piece of clothing with care and slung it over her arm.

By the time she returned to the lounge, she found the man waiting for her, taking a sip from a can of coffee in his hand, staring out at the glass door entrance of the balcony.

It was only by chance that she found out that his crime coefficient had spiked up since they came back. She found out while she was sorting out some of the files on her computer screen. There were many things that weighed her mind, but remembering how worried he looked before her deployment was enough for her to be concerned.

He didn't hide a lot of things from her, and yet he managed to draw the line, emphasizing their positions as enforcer and inspector.

He turned his head and caught sight of her staring at him.

A brief moment of eye-contact made him shift in his seat, gesturing to have her sit next to him.

She made a small nod at the gesture as she joined him.

"You look better now," he said, offering an unopened can of coffee. "I know that your psycho pass can't cloud that easily, but you still need to take care of yourself."

"Mm," she nodded, taking the warm can from him. She opened it and took a sip.

There was a moment of silence, Ginoza watched her as she drank the warm beverage.

"…Kougami," he suddenly said.

She twitched at the sound of that name.

"While you were sleeping, you muttered his name," he continued.

She turned her head to face him.

"…Did I?"

The enforcer nodded.

"Oh… I did, didn't I?" Akane lowered her chin as she smiled sadly.

"Even until now, he haunts you in your sleep."

"It's not like he did that on purpose, Ginoza-san," she smirked at his remark. "Besides, it's not what you think it is."

She took another sip from the can while he said nothing. She silently debated as to whether or not she should tell him what it was.

"… I was dreaming of the day Kougami-san shot Makishima."

His lips tightened into a thin line, nodding as though he understood.

"… I see," he turned his eyes to the glass door, looking out into the scenery.

She hesitated to tell him because she knew that it would bring out the memories of that day when he lost everything. Akane watched his eyes that reflected hints of sadness and regret, yet appearing to be accepting nonetheless of the events that took place. Contrary to his former self who was bitter towards the misfortunes that laid before him. Within the month after he came back as an enforcer, he accepted his new role at the time, but there were occasions where she witnessed his down moments.

_"Pleasant memories just end up being overtaken by unpleasant ones." _He once said to her._ "I'm sure I had times when I enjoyed my childhood with my father, but… all of those memories have already been dyed with black. After that, anything that I remember has been tinged with pain…"*_

Her heart twinged just by thinking about it. She hugged the jacket to her chest unconsciously.

She bothered him enough with her problems. Although without a doubt he would try and steer the conversation to talk more about how she was coping with things, she felt like it wasn't fair for him to concern himself with her problems yet not let her do the same for him.

"It's gotten higher."

She said out of the blue.

"Hmm?"

"Your crime coefficient."

Ginoza turned around and made a defeated smiled.

"It's no surprise."

"A few 150 points higher and you'll become a target for the lethal eliminator."

"Mm."

He reluctantly nodded.

"Ginoza-san."

The senior inspector placed a hand over his warm hand.

"Is everything alright?" she asked. "You haven't spoken much since we came back from SEAUn."

He scoffed a little.

"And here I was thinking of asking you the same thing."

"Ginoza-san, it was only just a dream," Akane tightened her grip on his hand. "I'm feeling better now. It's just that, you had that look on your face."

"What look?"

"That look like there's something's been bothering you for a while now."

He raised his head and looked at her straight in the eye.

"I'm alright," he said. "It was probably from that last case. There's no need for you to worry about it."

He drew the line once more. Something he had been doing since they came back. He closed himself from her, something made her upset with that. Unable to comprehend just what it was that was building between them, she could only do so much as to try pry into what it was that was bothering him.

"Ginoza-san, I think that we've known each other well enough to know that you can't hide everything from me."

At her words, there was a short silence, only to have him laugh afterwards.

"I suppose that's true."

"Ginoza-san I'm serious."

"I know."

A genuine smile crept up his face, eyeing the hand that held his own. His flesh hand shifted slightly, allowing her to hold his hand properly while he returned her grip with a light squeeze. With his prosthetic one, he placed it on top of hers gently. The way he managed to do so almost made her forget it was fake.

"There really isn't anything wrong with me," he assured her. "But, thank you."

Her heart thrummed in her ribcage. All of a sudden, she became nervous and aware of the hand that held his. Within a matter of seconds, he let go of her.

"The last thing I'd expect was for an inspector to worry about enforcers." He added as he stood up, throwing the can of coffee he emptied out into its designated bin. "I'll be heading to the office. I'll see you when you get back from your break."

He turned around and was about to leave until she remembered the jacket that slung on her arm.

"Ah wait," she stood up and raised the arm that held the jacket. "Before that, here. You might want this back."

His green eyes flickered from the jacket to her gaze. He nodded as he took it from her arm.

"Thank you," he said.

"No," she shook her head. "Thank you, Ginoza-san."

His eyes widened a little, as though taken aback by her words. He then gave her a curt nod before he left the scene. In an awkward pause, he stopped at his tracks and turned around.

"Tsunemori," he said.

"Yes?"

"I know it's late, but, welcome back."

Just a fraction of a second she thought she saw him cover his mouth as he left the room.

When she was the only one left in the room, she slumped to her seat. She then remembered that she had been meaning to thank him for saving her that night.

The need of wanting to help him was one of the few things she was compelled to do. The steady beating of her heart told her so. Although over the years they spent, she watched him improve steadily as he slowly embodied the shadow of his father's wisdom. Although Ginoza was definitely not his father, there are those moments where he picked a few of his father's quirks, like the small phrases he used, or the habit of using his prosthetic arm as a shield.

His dedication to his role as an enforcer seemingly set an example for other enforcers to follow despite the hardened disciplined role that he took as an inspector. He followed her orders, compromising the low regard for enforcers from others and did one step further each time they were placed in a difficult situation.

And yet in those moments behind the scenes, she saw glimpses of the burdens he carried. The weight of his regret at one point had become so clear to her that at one point he openly admitted it at one point in the office.* The memory of it was slightly jumbled at most, but she remembered the distraught look on his face.

At the time, she was still getting used to hearing his doting words. He kept reminding her to stop apologising to enforcers so easily, warning her that being too familiar with other enforcers would only make them question her authority. Somewhere down the line, the conversation ended up talking about how Division 1 seemed to be ridden with bad luck having to put up with troublesome enforcers who had one of the highest number of written complaints and apologies.

_"Is Division 1 cursed or what?"_

She faintly recalled him saying something like that. He then spoke of how the memories of his father were tainted by the pain of losing people in his life.

_"There's nothing good in me being alive… Its better if I just died…"_

His pained words gave her enough reason to care. There was just so much more in his life that deserved better than that. She felt that he deserved better. And although he's become a better man than he was in his first year of being an enforcer, for his sake, she was more than willing to stay.

_Even if it meant giving up pursuing that person–_

She blinked at the thought. Unaware of the meaning behind the words. She looked at the coffee can beside her, its contents cooled by the exposure of the air-conditioned room. Akane gulped down the remainder of the cold coffee and stood up, slapping her cheeks to focus on the tasks at hand.

**Chapter End Notes**

***reference to the Psycho pass radio drama which was translated by Kumapillow from her tumblr page.**


	13. Chapter 13

In the events that followed, Akane was made known that SEAUn had begun their first formal elections in Shamballa Float. Sybil's puppet Kasei wryly smiled as she made mention of the news on a whim. What matters to the senior inspector was the need for democracy when it came down to maintaining balance within society. If the people chose Chairman Han over other candidates, despite her spite towards Sybil, what Akane wanted was for the people to be heard. And so if Chairman Han were to win by the means of the people, she would value that decision, but would be saddened by the outcome.

Her fight against Sybil, and her fight against crime, she was facing an internal war against two fronts. Each time she raised the Dominator to someone's head, she questioned the value in them rather than the crimes they were about to do. Each time she does so, she was more than willing to have a Dominator pointed at herself rather than those whose psycho passes were clouded. A challenge that she posed on herself of the value in her existence.

_Am I… even human?_

Over the time she spent working in the CID, the ideals and values she tried so hard to maintain had begun put herself into question. She knew that when the day would come when Sybil's value would be tested against the views of the thousands that they ruled over, her loyalty to the spirit of justice would force her to stand on a platform to be judged like the rest of them.

_"When the time comes, I'll go to hell with you," _she had once said to Kasei.

The weight of her sin after Kamui's death was something she couldn't forgive. He had the means of changing society. But all she did was erasing him from existence. Although she couldn't forgive his methods, she knew the value he had was worth more than the value that Sybil had seen in her.

Even after her clear emotional antipathy towards the system, not once were they able to judge her. Just how far would she have to go in order to color her hue black? In thoughts like these, she understood where people like Kamui and Makishima were coming from. But she never wanted to choose the same path as them. Not when it demanded the lives of others.

"I highly doubt that it's the matter of how you were able to keep a clear hue," Ginoza once said to her. "I think it's the matter of why. Dad… he said that the reason why he became an enforcer was because he couldn't accept the society that judges criminals at gunpoint. He said to me that accepting the circumstances was possibly one factor to keeping a clear hue."

She highly doubted that were the case. If she had the choice, she wouldn't mind revealing to her new confidant that the society they were living in was made up of criminally asymptomatic brains that wreaked havoc in the past 23 years. But after Kagari's death, she could only do so much as to keep much of it to herself.

Three years and a few months after Kougami left made her aware of the stakes that her job entails. And with her position as senior inspector of Division 1 along with the envious gazes from other inspectors including her own kohai, she felt that she was placed onto a pedestal for others to see and never touch. Aware of her own authority and the responsibilities that came with it, at times it scared herself at the thought of abusing it for her own means.

Meeting Kougami again allowed her to step down from that pedestal and become nothing more than an equal to him. To the enforcers under her belt, she was given the highest regard. To Shimotsuki, she was seen as the chief's 'favorite'. To Kougami, she was just Tsunemori Akane. The value in those words gave her the confidence to become the best in what she could be. Somewhere down the line in her rookie days, she placed him on a pedestal within the time they spent together as an inspector and enforcer.

And yet, when he left, a sense of betrayal was felt as the brilliant detective Kougami abandoned everything in order to seek justice by means of breaking the law. Although the years made her aware that it was an inevitable fate, a tug in her heart made her mourn for that loss. An outcry of a sense of abandonment and loss of someone whom she had been dependent of.

The moment Kougami made the shot, her innocence died with it. Being made aware of her naivety of her hopes of saving him made her learn the first lesson. The world was not so generous regardless of what kind of society they were living in.

"It's just something that I cannot seem to let go of," Akane said to Ginoza.

The two of them were on their break at the time on the roof top, a cigarette held between her fingers as the embers lit brighter by the wind. She told him her thoughts regarding Kougami and how she felt and what it was that made her upset each time she had that dream. Ginoza listened to her words intently, never speaking or adding in his thoughts to the matter unless she asked for them.

"Kougami's no longer that man whom you say you placed on a pedestal," Ginoza said in reverence. "He's fallen from grace, so to speak. Although it's not my place to tell you this, but maybe it's a good opportunity to let the dead remain dead and move forward."

"I know," she said, smiling at his words. "After everything that happened in SEAUn, I am reminded that there's so much that I have to learn and do. Even more so after seeing what kind of 'utopic paradise' Shamballa Float really was."

"Hmph," he made a small chuckle, "now there's the inspector that I know of."

With that, he looked at her directly in the eye, a proud smile worn on his face.

The sight of his smile caught her off-guard, her heart steadily accelerated. Suddenly all shy at his words, she immediately said;

"Sorry, I was rambling my thoughts on you."

"Think nothing of it," he brushed her apology away, "I don't really mind. Besides, if anything, I've been meaning to apologize for something for a long time now."

She gave him a half-smile.

"Ginoza-san, what could you have possibly done to make you apologize for so long?"

"For being a terrible sempai of an inspector in your first year."

"…Ginoza-san. That's not something for you to apologize for."

"No," he insisted. "It _is_ something that I have to apologize for. Had I pulled myself together during the Makishima case, you wouldn't have gone through so much trouble. You wouldn't have to handle the entire division alone. Maybe _he _wouldn't have been so much of a bother as he is to you now."

"That's not your burden to bear, Ginoza-san," she said, her eyes fixed on the towering buildings, "It's just something that neither of us had any ability to do anything about it. It can't be helped. What happened with Kougami-san was bound to happen. We just happened to be in the middle of the crossfire."

"But even so–"

"Ginoza-san."

She turned towards his direction.

"It's all right," she assured him. "You have nothing to apologize for…"

Her expression then shifted to a solemn frown as she remembered what it was that she had wanted to say to him.

"What is it?"

"I've been meaning to say this since we got back."

He gave her a puzzled look.

"Thank you. For saving me back there."

"…Oh."

Appearing to have understood what she meant, he turned away from her gaze, his eyes pointing down to the city below him. A small smile crept up.

"_That_."

Since she was in the mood, she pressed the subject further in.

"Why… didn't you say anything?"

"…It's an enforcer's job to take priority in the inspector's safety," he answered. "I only did what I had to do to ensure that you weren't harmed."

_Again. _He drew the line. Reminding her of their status.

"You didn't answer my question."

He sighed and walked a step away from her.

"I didn't say anything because I thought it wasn't necessary. It doesn't really matter to an enforcer if they receive any credit, we're latent criminals after all–"

"Why… do you keep doing that?"

He twitched at her question.

"Drawing the line. You've been doing that for a while now."

No words came in response.

"Ginoza-san, when it comes to me, you would be so willing to listen to my thoughts. But when it's about you, you wouldn't even let me know just what it is that you are thinking. That's not fair."

Silence.

"I thought that we knew each other well enough to at least stand on equal terms."

He scoffed at the last line.

"Equal terms… huh."

She bit her lip.

"Sorry…I… I shouldn't have said that."

"Tsunemori," he sighed. "When I was still an inspector, _we _were standing on equal terms. But since that day, we no longer stand in the same ground. When you were deployed, I was reminded that I have a duty as an enforcer to follow orders, not make them."

"You know that I don't care about that–"

"I know," he said, the sound of his voice hardened. "I know that you don't. I know that you value fairness despite the differences in our social standing. I know. It's just that, sometimes, in those moments; I would forget that even though you treated me as an equal, the rest of the world does not. That's why."

A gust of wind billowed through them, almost making her lose her footing in the balcony. He instinctively took a step forward to catch her, only to have Akane grabbed hold on the railings.

With the autumn breeze running through them, she shivered as her thoughts lingered in what he had said.

"…Can't I at least care?" she muttered.

"What?"

He raised his voice, as the wind had muffled the sound of her voice.

"Can't I at the very least care?!"

"I can't hear you!"

"Ah!"

The cigarette in her hand slipped off her fingers. She stretched out her hand to catch it, only to have it fall to the city below their feet. Her leaning over the edge of the railings brought Ginoza to grab her shoulders and pull her back.

"Careful Tsunemori," he chided.

As the cigarette disappeared from her view, her gaze was fixated on the city below them. His warm hand on her right shoulder, his gloved one on her right. The large hands that wrapped around her small shoulders reminded her of how much he cared.

"Can't I… at the very least care about you?"

The words fell from her mouth as she felt the pain in her chest.

"Tsunemori."

"Ginoza-san. It's not like you to get affected by what the world has to say about you. So why now?"

She turned around and saw how close his face was to her own, accidentally bumping her nose onto his cheek. Wordlessly he released her and took a step back. Acting as if the small contact never happened.

"Even if I told you," he said. "It would only be a burden on your end."

Akane watched him standing before her, his eyes reflecting a sense of guilt and pain. His mouth lifted to a faint smile. He turned around, not long before he cocked his head to her direction and said,

"I'll see you in the office."

He left giving her a curt nod and exited the balcony.

"Baka," she said as soon as the glass door was closed shut.

The people who left her behind all told her the same thing. Each of them willing to give her their support, but gave her little opportunity to express her gratitude to its fullest extent. The lot of them placed her on a pedestal, never questioning her objective, never caring about what matters to them.

_No man is born equal. _She understood that fact. _But everyone deserves an equal opportunity._

Because of their history between them, she assumed that the two of them would have gained some form of a mutual understanding.

_Where did I go wrong? _She asked herself.

The better question was really why she would be upset with what he had said. When the question came to mind, the answer refused to reveal itself before her.

* * *

_"Can't I at least care about you?"_

The words haunted him.

He knew he wasn't being fair with her. Even more so having to find out that his behaviour had only added one more problem for his superior. His feelings had grown so full that it had begun to trouble him. The years prior to this day he was able to hold himself back, restraining himself at every opportunity whenever he felt the need for contact.

But ever since she came back, he found himself in wanting more than just her presence. It made things difficult when she was beginning to take one inch closer to him. Asking him things that demanded to reveal himself before her; threatening to tear down the walls he had built between them. There were no malice in her words, and he knew he could make that decision to open up to her and tell her how much he wanted to protect her and engulf her with his own warmth.

But the world was much crueller than what words could say.

"What the hell am I doing," he told himself.

Dime sneezed as it rested its head on its owner's lap.

He chuckled at the canine. He stroked Dime by the head and under its neck.

_How long will I be able to keep this going?_

He can't decide just what it is that he really wanted. If he told her how he felt, what then? There was no future for him since the day he lost his position as an inspector. He certainly knew that even if she were to reciprocate these feelings there was no future for as long as he remained a latent criminal.

He couldn't afford to rob her of that opportunity

He kept telling himself that as the night moored towards his hour of rest.

* * *

Managing and being made aware of every team member's strengths and weaknesses were one of the key things that Akane had to keep in mind each time they were out on the field. Depending on the situation, she would designate each of the enforcers to roles where they could perform to the best of their abilities.

And so with that in mind, regardless of the conflict that was growing between her and Ginoza, she made the decision to have him stationed next to her as she knew he would be so willing as to taking charge alongside her in the front lines.

With the case in the way, neither of them had the luxury of confronting the issue as they were focused on the task at hand.

After managing to secure the suspects, Akane then made the order to regroup by the paddy wagon. With their location set within an abandoned district, surrounded by worn-down buildings, the two of them had been walking for a while to get there in an uncomfortable silence.

"…"

"…"

It was just three days since their last exchange. Her mind was reeling for better words to say to what he had said to her. The palpitating heartbeat that hammered in her chest had only made things harder to deal with.

_Just how am I going to confront him with something so…_

"–troublesome."

Akane didn't faze at the realization that she voiced her thoughts aloud.

"Did you say something?"

Ginoza asked.

Hesitantly, she answered;

"… I don't know what I'm going to have to do with you, Ginoza-san."

Her voice quavered a little as he made no response to her words.

She switched off her commfield as she continued.

"Just a few months back, we were on better terms. And then, just a few days ago you then decided that you're not worth anything. Not even deserving of a word of gratitude from me. I thought… I thought we were getting along fine… or has it always been only me who's thinking like this?"

_What am I saying? _She thought to herself. But the words continued to fall from her lips.

"Have I been a bother to you all this time and that it was only just me who thought that what we have was special?"

"Tsunemori…"

"Tell me Ginoza Nobuchika," her voice hardened as she tried to blink back the tears. "If I have been just a bother to you, then you could have said so in the first place."

_Why… am I so upset with this man?_

She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands.

_Just what is it that I… want from him?_

She couldn't understand what it was that made her upset.

"TSUNEMORI!"

He grabbed hold of her slight figure and held onto her as the building adjacent to them burst into flames. His back facing the building as a meat shield for the inspector in his arms.

The debris of shattered glass and broken down plaster walls rained down upon his back. He grunted at the impact.

Akane didn't have time to react until she witnessed the aftermath.

"GINOZA-SAN!"

She heard him swore under his breath.

She squirmed under his arms as she screamed.

"Ginoza-san! Are you alright?! Ginoza-san!"

He loosened his arms around her as his face winced at the pain, falling to his knees.

Akane hurriedly stood up and bent down before him. Her hands clutching onto his shoulder. She gasped at the sight of blood that had slowly drenched his clothes.

"How… bad… is it?"

He grunted.

She covered her mouth at the sight of the scarlet dyed fabric on his back.

"It's really bad…" She answered in a hoarse whisper. She switched the commfield back on and said; "This is Shepard 1, send a medical drone fast! Ginoza-san…. Ginoza-san is injured and he needs medical attention fast!"

Ginoza heaved his shoulders as he took in laboring breaths.

"… You…" he fumbled his words, wincing at the pain. "I… I'm glad I made it… in time…"

"Ginoza-san," she blubbered her words, "please don't talk. You're in no condition to move."

"I'm so sorry," he continued nonetheless. "For… making you think… like that…"

"What are you saying?!"

Tears began to streak down her cheeks.

"Take this off!"

Without waiting for his response, she took off his blazer, with his white dress-shirt now stained in scarlet. She quickly unbuttoned his dress-shirt and began to place the fabric onto his bare back in hopes of stopping the bleeding.

He grunted as she pressed the fabric firmly on his back, his shoulders heaving with every breath.

"Oh God," she pleaded in a desperate whisper as she hiccuped the words, " please don't die on me."

An outstretched hand grasped her own free hand.

"You... have never been... a bother to me..." His words came in whisper. "Not once... not ever..."

In the corner of her eye she saw a medical drone approach them. Lagging behind it was the rest of the team as Ginoza's words came out in an inaudible whisper:

"I... love you..."

Almost immediately he collapsed in her arms.

**Chapter End Notes**

**(I know this is another long commentary) but, I just feel like saying this now that I have the chance:  
Writing in Akane's POV while trying to be in character as much as possible is really difficult. There's the intellectual aspect to her character and then her priorities and her duties makes its so hard to write about her as a character. And then well, I personally don't have enough confidence to know just how far I can go with her character. Not to mention trying to not write in Ginoza's POV was so hard to do after writing in his perspective for soo many chapters. I can start to see the ending. I don't really know how to meet point B to point C to get to the end, but, the way things are, the pacing has gotten a bit too rushed personally. What do you think? Be honest.  
I should really stop rambling before I hit my word limit in this commentary.**


	14. Chapter 14

The excruciating pain on his back was diminishing his consciousness.

A never ending ache sharpened by shallow wounds that were scraped by the glass and broken chunks of plaster. Seeing the senior inspector before him unharmed, he was glad:

_I… made it in time…_

His relief was short-lived as the pain continued to throb endlessly. The sensation was beginning to blur his vision. Desperate cries could be heard from Tsunemori as he caught sight of her tears. In his partially-conscious mind, he could only think of the words that he had held back for so long.

Ginoza felt his mouth move as words fell from his lips; unaware, unconscious of what it was that he had said. All he could think about was the pain which broke his restraint and the things that he had been meaning to say.

The weight of his prosthetic arm had begun to weigh down his body. Unable to hold himself up, he swayed to the side of his prosthetic arm only to fall into Tsunemori's arms. His strength waned with each passing second, unable to voice out words of apology.

_"Ginoza-san…! Ginoza-san! ..."_

The voices became inaudible to his ears.

_"Stay wi… me! Gino…-san!"_

_I'm sorry… Akane… _he thought weakly.

_"Please… Don't leave… me … hind…"_

He felt the warmth of her chest as his vision blurred. The pain overwhelmed him as it sapped his strength. Unable to keep himself together, he submitted to the drain as he fell unconscious.

* * *

She kept a tight grip on his hand. After doing the standard medical procedure before the ambulance arrived, she heard him speak in imperceptible words.

She could only faintly make out a few of his words. He was in a delirious state, despite being unconscious, he managed to string out the words. One of them being her given name. Another was a word whispered so faintly, one couldn't have possibly heard it unless they were close enough. Upon hearing the words, she understood the reason behind the pain in her chest.

"Tsunemori-sempai," Shimotsuki said. "What are we going to do about that?"

She pointed to the building in flames.

Akane lifted her head towards the building. For the first time in a long time she had almost abandoned her duties as an inspector. The flickering amber lights that radiated from the flames appeared to be coming from the second floor of the building. She really had initially assumed that the building had been abandoned like the rest of the buildings within the district.

"Send word for the fire-brigade drones," she said as her words quivered, wiping her tears away with one hand. Her other hand kept holding onto the unconscious enforcer's flesh hand. "We're going to have to investigate this."

Shimotsuki made the order for the fire-brigade drones along with the order of isolating the area immediately.

Not long after, two drones came forward that were programmed to pick up the fallen enforcer. She couldn't bring herself to let go of his hand until Kunizuka had to place her hand on her shoulder when the drones were about to carry him away.

Upon releasing her grip on his hand, Akane then shoved her own hand into the pocket that held the cigarette pack in her pocket. The feel of the plastic in her hand brought her to rely heavily onto the ghost of her image of Kougami. But for the first time within the three years of his absence, she couldn't hear the wise words that Kougami would have said in a situation like this. Instead, what she heard was the ache in her heart that was beating loudly in her chest.

"Inspector Tsunemori," Kunizuka's words startled her. "What are your orders?"

"…"

She clenched the pack of spinel tightly in her pocket.

"… We need to bring the suspects into custody," she finally said. "We're going back as soon as the fire-brigade drones arrive."

Her nerves brought her hands to tremble at the thought of losing someone important in her life once again.

* * *

What followed within the remnants of the day, was that the case was handed over to another division to investigate as soon as she reported it to the chief. Akane tried her best to appear calm in the presence of the sly puppet, hiding the nerves that had shaken her to her bones.

She wanted to take charge of the investigation, but in her heart she wanted to go to his side as soon as possible. There was at least some assurance knowing that Ginoza was going to make it. When she had dressed his wounds at that time, she found that there were no life-threatening injuries for as long as they were able to stop the bleeding.

With the entire division prompted to carry on with their other duties, the senior inspector seethed throughout the rest of her shift despite the professional front she forced herself to wear before them. Inside, she wanted to cry out, scream and run to his side as soon as the hour of her dismissal drew nearer.

Shimotsuki saw through her facade, irritated by the clear nerves Akane had displayed before the team. Despite the strained relationship between them, Shimotsuki insisted to have the senior officer leave earlier than the rest of them. Although Akane insisted that she was fine, the junior inspector bluntly told her that she was in no condition to lead for as long as she was in that state of mind.

Having to be scolded by her kohai, along with the mutual expressions of concern that the rest of the enforcers had, Akane apologized before the team and left the office.

On the way home, switching the car to autopilot mode, she hugged her knees as her thoughts wandered at the memory. Shaken by what had happened, she could barely think about everything other than recalling the rasped whispers that the enforcer had left her.

_Why didn't I realize it sooner?_

She felt the possibility that she might have been hearing things. But the certainty in her heart made her realize how much the man had meant to her.

_If he were here, what would he have said?_

As an afterthought, she took a lighter and a tobacco stick from her pocket and lit it. The scent of burnt tobacco filled the small space as the vehicle made a clear warning of the health risks of smoking. She switched off the notification as she closed her eyes.

_Talk to me, Kougami-san._

Immediately she recalled one small thing.

It must have been a while since Ginoza had fed Dime.

She switched gears and made a turn-around back towards the tower.

* * *

The hours passed till midnight. Akane was on her couch, Dime resting its head on her lap as she stroked its fur.

"I'm sorry I had to drag you here," she said.

The canine sneezed.

"I just… I just don't want to be alone right now."

For the first time in three years she couldn't afford to light a cigarette for Dime's sake. She didn't know much about what second-hand smoking does to dogs, and so she didn't risk it.

"Someone has to take care of you after all."

Dime whimpered.

"To think… after everything that's happened, I… never had the chance to think about this for a long time."

Her life's worth compared to enforcers. How enforcers are expected to give up their lives for the sake of the 'average citizen'. The frustrations that comes with it as they were treated as cannon fodder to inspectors. She already understood what it meant for enforcers to carry out their duties. But never had she felt so naïve at the notion that one of them could have died because of her.

She was confident that she would never allow any one of them to die. As the head of Division 1, she trained herself in order to understand the weighed of the Dominator in her hands. She didn't want to always be protected by others and so she forced herself into learning hand-to-hand skills in combat if ever something were to happen.

_And yet…_

"I was naïve."

She took a deep breath and released it, releasing the tension on her shoulders.

Dime lifted its head from her lap and jumped onto the couch, startling her a little. She laughed sadly at the canine as it lied down on the cushions next to her, yawning as it did so.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I let your owner down today. I promise I'll do everything I can to protect him."

When the thought came to mind, it brought her to tears.

She couldn't save her best friend Yuki. She couldn't stop Kougami from leaving. She couldn't protect her grandmother from dying. Just how many more losses would she have to go through before she would be able to protect what was left of the people she loved.

Ginoza managed to escape death this time around. She didn't want his life to end without giving him some form of happiness in his life. She cursed herself for her weakness. She hated the idea of wallowing herself into self-pity.

_I swear. _She thought, _this will be the last time I'll cry over this._

Without her realizing it, the husky crawled forward onto her lap, resting a paw and its head on top of it. Her shoulders raised, surprised at the gesture. She then loosened the tension on her back as she rests her arm on the furry creature.

"Are you trying to make me feel better?"

The canine sneezed once again.

She smiled as she wiped away the tears from her eyes.

"Thank you, Dime."

* * *

The memory of his father running to him and scurried his way to throwing the dynamite away from him etched into his mind. It never really occurred to him that what he had done was just the same with Tsunemori. Except this time, he managed to scrape through it.

He woke up in a medical bed, his eyelids heavy as felt the anesthetics in his system immobilizing him from any sudden movements. The room was dark and dim, the holo lights that showed his heart meter and psycho pass glowed in the darkness of the room.

_Crime coefficient 154._

Apparently his crime coefficient lowered drastically than what Tsunemori had stated.

_It must have been the anesthetics._

He could only do so much as muster one thought before he succumbed to his drug induced sleep.

_"How is he?"_

_"He's in a stable condition right now."_

_"… Before he fell… maybe I… hearing things…"_

_Tsunemori?_

He tried to stir himself awake. But to no avail his body felt too heavy to move.

_"Akane-chan, it's not your fault…"_

_Karanomori-san?_

Their voices echoed in his ears, but he was unable to distinguish some of the words.

_This must be a dream. _He concluded, judging from the heaviness in his eyes.

_"… noza-kun… have always been… for you."_

_"…"_

_"… I'll be off… should be awake by now…"_

He heard the sound of the door sliding open.

_"By the way, when he does get up, try not to get him all excited."_

_"Hm."_

When he heard the door slide shut, he was beginning to doubt whether he really was dreaming.

He felt a light tug on his shoulder on his prosthetic side.

A period of silence followed.

_"Ginoza-san."_

This time he heard Tsunemori's voice clearly. Her voice was gentle and low in his ears.

_"This really brings back memories."_

He heard her chuckle a little.

_"On the very first day, I really screwed up. Shooting Kougami-san on my first day. Everyone telling me that I might not be suited for the job."_

_No. _He thought. _We were the ones who were wrong about you. I was wrong about you._

_"It's really funny, how it's been more than three years ago since that day. Kougami-san… Kougami-san was the first to tell me that by working under me, he felt that he could be a real detective."_

_Is that so?_

In that case, Ginoza wasn't any different. Working under her made him feel proud of himself to become her support.

_"When I first heard him say that, it gave me the motivation to stay on this job. It gave me a reason to keep going… But after everything that's happened, I decided that being a detective I had to keep telling myself: it's not in my nature to be dependent on others all the time. An inspector should be able to protect the people. The law should be able to protect its people, not shackle them."_

The sound of rustling of sheets tickled his ears.

_"You said so yourself, Ginoza-san. Let the dead remain the dead and move forward… I… I have to move forward from this… You… If Ginoza-san hadn't been there… things would have been a lot harder to cope with everything that's happened… That's why… I… to Ginoza-san I really… really…"_

_ Really what?_

He felt the bed weighing down on his left side, a warm puff of air warmed his skin. He felt a warm sensation tingle on his forehead as he heard her whisper.

_"Please… Don't die on me, enforcer Ginoza-san."_

_Is this really a dream?_

His eyes flung open. The first thing he saw was the closeness of her face that drew nearer to his.

Their eyes locked into each other's gazes within that moment. She froze, her face flushed with each passing second as he stared at her, unable to comprehend just what was happening.

His throat was parched and raspy as he spoke.

"…Tsu… ne… mori…?"

She jerked at the sound of his voice.

"Ah… This…!"

She squeaked as she moved inches away from him.

When he realized that a second earlier she was more than an inch closer to his face and that she was actually sitting on his medical bed. He felt the temperature rise to his head.

"…W-what were you doing?"

"I-I can explain!"

She stuttered her words as she got off the bed and took a step away from him.

His heart palpitated in his chest, feeling his pulse throbbing at his ears. Overwhelmed at the thought, dizziness came over him as his vision swayed to the side.

* * *

Akane moved fast enough to catch him as his body threatened to fall to the side of the bed. When she did, she felt the temperature rising on his forehead against her shoulder when his head was resting there.

Her rattled state was immediately dispelled.

"This is bad," she said. "You've got a fever."

Initially he said nothing until she heard him murmur under his breath.

"…"

"Sorry, what was that?"

"… were you doing?"

She felt puffs of his breath warming her, sending her shivers down her spine.

Akane shook the nerves and then said;

"Did you… hear what I said earlier?"

His back heaved as she felt his head shift on her shoulder.

"Sorry," he said weakly.

Her cheeks warmed in his answer.

"You could have gotten up and told me!"

"Don't shout in my ear," he scowled as she felt the weighed on his body shifted to his prosthetic side.

"Sorry," she quickly added. "… But even so… You could have at least let me know."

"…"

She felt the weight lifted away from her shoulder as he removed himself from her. When he reclined back to the medical bed, he shifted his position with his back turned towards her. From where she stood she saw his ear glowing red along with his neck.

She opened her mouth to speak as she tried stringing her words.

"I won't ask," he said, his voice muffled by the pillow.

She frowned at his words.

"… Why?"

"What do you mean by 'why'?" he asked, "I assumed that you didn't want me to hear it."

"–Yes, but–"

"I must have been imagining things," he sighed as she watched his back rise and fall. "Rest assured, I saw nothing. I felt nothing. I heard nothing. You don't need to be worked up about it. Just a dream, nothing more."

_There you go again. _This time the frustrations she had with his habit of drawing the line had reached its limit.

"What if I told you that you weren't imagining things," she said.

His bionic arm twitched.

"…And what if I said that I was?"

"What _if _you _weren't_?"

"Tsunemori, don't make an injured man get riled up while he's recuperating."

She felt a vein burst on the corner of her forehead. Despite her intentions of being patient before him due to his injury, she could no longer take his stubbornness and climbed onto his bed.

"Wha-! Tsunemori what are you–!"

She propped herself onto the side of the bed on one knee as she bent down and reached for the side of his face, making him turn towards her direction.

Giving him no chance of protesting, she forced her lips onto his own and let it linger there.

He pulled away from her and held her shoulders by an arm's length.

"What… no, wait," he huffed his words, "…Why… what do you think you're doing–"

"Baka," she hissed, removing his hands from her as she lunged forward to kiss him again.

This time he placed his hands on the side of her head. She expected him to draw her away from him, but to her surprise she felt his large hands cupping the back of her head; fingers lacing with her hair. His bionic hand held her by the waist, pulling her down with him, his flesh hand drew her head closer to him as he deepened the connection. She felt him wince when she placed a hand around his back, bringing her to part her lips from him.

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She never kissed anyone so passionately in her life, and therefore her lack of experience made her first one messy.

Akane saw his shoulders heaving, wide-eyed and flustered at her actions. She found herself staring at this broad figure, studying every detail of his face. She raised her hand to his cheek and felt the warmth emanating from him.

"Baka," she said again, "How am I supposed to act if you're going to keep pushing me away? If you didn't want me, you should have left me alone from the very beginning. Take responsibility for this, dammit."

"Wait, you knew?"

Apparently he didn't remember saying the words the night before.

"You said it yourself," she answered, this time she said it with reverence. "On the night before."

"I don't remember saying anything like tha–!"

He raised his head, appearing to have remembered everything. His cheeks turned pink, making him turn his head to the wall, covering the lower half of his face with his hand.

"Ginoza-san," she placed a hand onto his bionic one. "Ginoza. Look at me."

He shut his eyes, sighing exasperatingly when he put his hand away from his mouth.

"Ginoza," she said again. "When you fell unconscious, I was really afraid that I would lose you. It was at that moment I realized how much you mean to me."

"I can't," he immediately said.

Her heart throbbed.

"What do you mean you 'can't'?"

"I don't deserve any of that," he said. "I'm an enforcer–"

"You're still going on about that?" she interjected. Akane grabbed his flesh hand and entwined her fingers with his. "Ginoza I love you. I care about you. And you told me that you feel the same. Why do you keep doing this to yourself? To me? To us?"

His mouth was tight-lipped, unable to voice himself out. His eyes glistened under the reflection of the light. His silence prompted her to speak.

"It doesn't matter whether you are an enforcer, or an inspector or someone who you say you are," she continued. "I really care about you. I don't want you to keep putting yourself in the dark."

"… I can't give you a future," he said.

"That's not for you to decide."

"Tsunemori–"

"Akane."

She let go of the bionic hand and ran her fingers through his hair.

"Call me Akane when it's just the two of us."

This time he let go of her hand and pulled her down to him, forcing her to awkwardly lay next to him. He kissed her deeply as he held her tight, holding onto her like she was a life-saver. She in turn wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing him to hold her closer.

He parted their lips, then tucked his head on the crook of her neck.

"Akane…san," he whispered.

She giggled. Despite her urging, he still managed to be formal with her.

"Ginoza," she smiled, kissing the side of his neck.

"…Just how… do you plan on explaining this to everyone else?"

"I don't know," she laughed at the thought. "I have no idea."

"… You do realize that there are surveillance cameras in this room don't you?"

"…"

She had completely forgotten about that.


	15. Chapter 15

"Is it alright, leaving him alone like that?"

Akane didn't flinch as she watched the surveillance camera footage on screen.

Karanomori smirked as she took a drag from her cigarette.

"Akane-chan, if you wanted to just watch him, wouldn't it be better if you just dropped by and visited him?"

The senior inspector blushed.

"Sorry," she said, "Am I hindering you on your work, Shion-san?"

"Not at all," the analyst casually replied. "Although might I mention a little something regarding what happened a little earlier on."

Akane felt her face warming up to her forehead.

_Ah. That._

"Shion-san," she began. "That… I…"

"Don't worry," Karanomori winked, "I won't tell a soul. I'm more than certain that there's not much to see here or _there _for that matter."

Akane opened her mouth to thank her but the analyst then quickly added;

"But in exchange, now I'm not one who's against fraternizing between co-workers, but I'd like to ask: what are you going to do now that the two of you have reached some form of _compromise_?"

Akane smiled, understanding that the analyst was taking the extra measure of using subtle words, implying her new-found relationship between Akane and Ginoza.

"I'll be honest," the inspector confessed, "I never thought that I'd be in this situation. Neither one of us have. I don't know what's going to happen to us from this point onwards. I don't even know if what we have is even accepted in the current society we are living in. But even so, I don't believe that it's wrong at all."

Karanomori gave her a satisfied look.

"…Am I wrong for thinking like that?" Akane said hesitantly.

"You're asking me that after what you just said earlier?" the analyst playfully smiled. "If you are still uncertain, you could always talk to me. I even willing to think that even Saiga might give his take on it."

"Saiga-san, huh," Akane mused at the thought, "he would the first one to see through it even without telling him."

"There's no doubt about it," Karanomori laughed.

* * *

Ginoza lay there on his bed, thinking back on what had just happened a few hours earlier.

The fact that not only did he find out that she loved him, and that she had kissed him and that she was in his arms gave him enough reason to lay awake instead of resting for the rest of the day.

The thought of it alone made him feel like an adolescent running high on raw emotions. The last time he felt this way was something he couldn't even remember.

_Never thought this would really get to me, _he sighed, trying to calm himself as he reflected on it.

It was a question of what happens next. Although he admitted that he hadn't felt so much joy in a long time from knowing that his feelings were reciprocated, he couldn't deny the doubt that was etched in his mind.

_"What happens if they found out?" _or "_What kind of future would this relationship bring them?" _These questions hovered over his head all the more each time the thought appears.

And then, he remembered the sight of her tears. And his desire of wanting to hold her close to him; in wanting to comfort her and become her support in many ways he could think of.

Conveniently, the sliding door opened and saw Tsunemori standing there.

"Tsunemori…"

She entered the room, smiling.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Ginoza," she began, "I told you _Akane _is fine when it's just the two of us."

She pulled the chair closer to his left side and sat down, her hand reached out to grasp the unfeeling hand.

"You had a fever earlier," she said. "How are you feeling now?"

"…"

Sometimes he wondered how she was able to act natural after what had taken place earlier.

"I'm fine," he said. "Although after that stunt you just pulled out earlier, I felt like it took ten years off my life."

"…"

She lowered her chin, her cheeks glowing pink from embarrassment. A hint of guilt could be seen in her eyes.

Seeing her in this state caught him off-guard. Despite the boldness of her actions she still managed to act timid before him.

"Sorry," he sighed. "That was a bad joke."

She frowned.

"Ginoza, even as a joke, that wasn't funny," she tugged at the bionic hand. "I'm still reflecting on my actions earlier. I know you weren't feeling well but even so I–"

"Okay, okay, I've got it. I admit it was a terrible thing to say on my part."

He shuffled on the bed to have him sitting upright to face her properly.

"I should be the one to apologize," he said, "making you worry like that back there."

A short silence followed as she shifted in her seat, her eye remained down-casted.

"…Promise me something," she began, "Please, don't treat your life like it's not worth living."

"That's a tall order to follow, inspector."

"Ginoza, I'm serious. Please don't do that again. I can't stand the thought of losing another valuable member while they are on duty."

Ginoza sadly smiled. After the events of that day when his father saved his life, for a period of time he thought about how he didn't deserve to live. But day after day, in his first few weeks as an enforcer, each time Tsunemori would take a leap of faith and carry out unprecedented methods, he had forgotten the sentiment he had in his bones and feared for the worst with each succeeding method of action.

Somewhere down the line he had come to a point of understanding that there were still many things left to do. And that he can't afford to die, not when his father had sacrificed his own life to save him.

"I think you misunderstood me," he said. "I haven't thought about dying anytime soon. It's just that… at that moment, my body moved on its own. All I ever thought about was your safety."

She lifted her chin, her eyes widened.

"…Ginoza."

"Yes?"

"…No," she shook her head as she smiled. "Never mind. It's nothing."

Having her make that face before him had only peeked his interest.

"No really, what is it?" he asked.

"It's nothing to worry about," she assured him.

"Are you sure?"

"Hmm," she nodded.

Without giving him a chance to ask any further, she then held the bionic hand with her two hands.

"I've been wondering about this for a while," she said as she played with the metal joints of the fingers, "this hand can't feel anything, can it?"

"It doesn't."

One of the fingers twitched when she held it in a certain way.

"Ah, sorry."

"No, that was me," he said, massaging the area where the joint of the prosthetic connects to the body. "Phantom pains."

He then pulled the hand away from her, conscious of the hidden lens somewhere in the corner of the room.

"Akane-san," he said, the sound of her name rolling off his tongue felt foreign to him, "this _thing _that's happening; I can't always be there when you're out there when your off duty. You know that, don't you?"

"I know," she solemnly nodded.

"And with that knowledge," he added, "You're still determined to make this work?"

"…No one knows what the future may bring," she looked at him in the eye. "But I'm willing to try. I'm more than willing to make this work. For both of us."

"…For both of us, huh," he muttered her words.

She reached out for his hand as he gave her a wary look.

"Don't worry," she said appearing to have understood the message. In a low and quiet voice she added, "No one could see this from this angle."

She then entwined her fingers with his false hand. At that moment, Ginoza regretted a little of not choosing to add the sensory nerves into his artificial arm as he wanted to feel her warm hand against the coldness of his metal fingers.

"Hmph," he laughed at his own misfortune, "It's unfortunate that it had to be my left side."

"Sorry," she smiled sadly, "this is best I could do."

"It can't be helped."

He then commanded his metal fingers to interlock them with her own with precise caution and gentility. Akane widened her eyes a little, clearly amused at his skill. In turn she placed her free hand over his bionic hand, perhaps it was her own way of consoling him of not being able to let him feel her warmth.

"Oh," she suddenly said, releasing her fingers from him as she checked the wrist-link for the time. "My break is almost over. I have to get back."

The abruptness of the situation made him recall the events that had happened in the previous night. Before she left side, he instinctively grabbed hold of her wrist.

"Wait," he said. "Tell me. What happened back there? What happened while I was out?"

"Division 4 took the case," she explained, turning around to face him. "It's out of my hands. From what I know is that the building was used as a lab and that it exploded. We just happened to be caught in the middle of the crossfire."

"I see," he nodded, loosening his grip on her wrist.

"I'll see you at the end of my shift."

When she left the room, he reclined against the bed that happened to be elevated for him to sit slightly upright. When he did so, he grunted, having to hit the wounded area of his back.

He was really close this time. It was a miracle to even find out that his wounds hadn't been deep enough to be fatal. But regardless, the pain was still there, except a little less due to the gauze that bandaged over his wounds.

Turning to the heart metre adjacent to his bed, he saw his crime coefficient reduced to five points higher than the three digit number he had when he first started as an enforcer.

_Crime Coefficient 145_

He wondered what kind of trick the doctors used to make it happen. He knew the reason for his fluctuating crime coefficient. Releasing Kougami brought his number a handful of digits higher. He never managed to tell her the truth of what happened in Shamballa Float, nor did he have the intention of doing so.

_So how did this happen?_

He stopped caring about it after his demotion, rather, he thought he did until this happened. He hated the idea of some false hope that he might be able to bring it down lower than a hundred.

With that in mind, he averted his eyes away from the screen and turned to his mismatched hands. Ginoza grasped at the metal hand and surprised at the warm sensation that emanated from the metal surface. He realised that Akane had warmed it with her own flesh hands.

He couldn't help but smile. He then brought the metal hand to the back of his feeling hand and lightly grasping it.

* * *

Five days after he was admitted to the medical ward, Ginoza was released to go back to work since his injuries weren't fatal. During that span of time, Akane made sure to visit him, giving him an update that she was taking care of Dime while he was away.

During those nights, she had to refrain her habits of lighting cigarettes for as long as Dime was around. However, it seemed that the scent of tobacco was something that Dime had been familiar with and wasn't fazed at all when she arrived home after she had lit a cigarette in her car.

When she brought it up with Ginoza on the fourth day, he then explained that Dime had met Kougami before, so therefore her scent was similar to his.

She didn't know how to feel about that. She left one pack of her own spinel cigarettes to the man who had been absent for more than three years now. And out of habit she found herself buying another pack of her own. After meeting the man, she felt that the need to light them had been growing less and less.

"There was a lot to get through today," she said, stretching her arms up after finishing up her last report.

It was two days after Ginoza was released from the medical ward. The night still young as the two of them were the only ones left in the office. Being made to work overtime for a whole month had finally paid off for her. Due to his absence for an entire week, Ginoza had to catch up on the things that needed to be written.

"You don't need to wait for me," he said, his eyes didn't leave the screen. "I might stay here a little longer."

She didn't say a word and stood from her seat as she began packing up her things. Having to leave her desk, she walked up to Sugo's chair and sat on it, swivelling it so that she could face him.

His green eyes flickered to her direction.

"…What is it?"

"Nothing," she said, smiling as she did so.

His eyes returned to the screen briefly. After writing another sentence or two, he turned his chair towards her direction and sighed.

"Inspector, I can't concentrate on this if you're going to watch over me from this distance."

Akane chuckled a little.

"Am I bothering you?"

"To be perfectly frank," he cleared his throat. "I don't know how you're able to adjust to this situation so easily without having to think about…"

Akane blinked at his pause.

"About what?" she said innocently.

He turned his head to the side, closing his eyes as he made a longer sigh.

His action had only increased the level of her curiosity.

"What is it?" she asked again.

"Don't make me say it."

"Why not?"

"It's terribly embarrassing."

"I promise I won't laugh."

He looked at her dubiously.

"…No," he shook his head after a long pause. "It's nothing."

"Ginoza," she said, this time with clear sincerity, "No really, what is it?"

He didn't say a word at first, his cheeks however glowed a little pink.

"It's you," he finally said in a mutter. "Whenever you're around, I can't stop thinking about it. Holding you; having you near; kissing you; you make me think of things I never even thought about before."

When the words were strung, the temperature in the room suddenly rose higher, for Akane at least.

"There," he said, swiveling his chair back to his desk, his face flushed. "I said it."

"…"

An awkward silence hung in the air as the two sheepishly sat there, unable to look at each other in the eye. Her heart thrummed in her rib cage, feeling the temperature rising to her ears.

Unable to take the atmosphere, she stood up from her seat.

"I'm going for a drink," she said as she hastened her way out of the office room, leaving her bag on the chair as a small indication that she'll be back.

* * *

The moment she disappeared from his view, he slumped his head on the desk.

_I really messed up._

It was bad enough that he had failed to compose himself. Never in his life did Ginoza Nobuchika ever had experienced this much emotion to a point of throwing himself off-balance.

The last thing he wanted was having the woman he loved think of him as some pervert or something like that.

He lifted his head up, rubbing his forehead as he assumed it might have left a mark.

With her away from the office, he took a deep breath and switched gears to focus on the task at hand.

_Try not to think about, _he kept telling himself as he worded each sentence.

By the time she came back, he saw her carry two mugs of coffee, her face solemn as she entered the office. Wordlessly she passed a mug to him, which he willingly accepts.

"Sorry," he said.

"No," she stopped him before he could say anything further. "It wasn't my place to pry."

He made a curt nod at her words.

"But you know," she suddenly added, "if it's you, I don't mind."

His heart stopped at the words. She gave him no time to react as she returned to the seat adjacent to his and took hold of his right hand.

"Tsu-Tsunemori?" He fumbled the words as he tried to speak. "D-did you not understand what I had said earlier?"

"I understand," she said nonchalantly. "I understand perfectly well what it implies."

He couldn't tell whether she was serious or messing with his head. She grasped his flesh hand with her two hands, one hand holding the back of his hand, the other running circles on his wrist with her thumb. The small contact was enough to drive him insane.

"What are we doing?" he said, covering his face with his bionic one. "At this rate, I'll be able never finish either of these documents."

She giggled.

"Please don't laugh," he pleaded, "There's a limit to how much a man can take."

"Sorry."

"No you're not," he deadpanned, eyeing at the fact that she was still teasing him with her fingers.

"Sorry," she said again, letting go his hand. "I thought you needed a break."

He took a deep breath.

"I'll never be able to get one if I don't finish this soon."

"Alright then," she said, standing up from her seat, this time she slung her bag over her shoulder. "Enjoy the rest of your evening."

He could have sworn he thought he heard a hint of annoyance in her voice. Before she could pass by his desk completely, Ginoza instinctively grabbed the hand that hung loosely by her side.

"...What is it?" she said, not turning her head to face him. "I thought you wanted to be left alone."

It took her attempt of leaving him alone in the office to make him realize she wanted to to keep him company while he was working. His clumsiness regarding these things had always been the cause of many misunderstandings in his previous interactions with other people.

"Sorry," he said, "I'm still new to these things. I didn't realize you wanted to keep me company."

He expected a lash or a retort out of her, instead, his words were met with a satisfied smile on her face.

She then sat on the chair adjacent to his left side this time. He let go of her hand and turned towards his desk.

"I suppose this means I have to finish this as soon as possible," he said in defeat.

"Ginoza," she made one more interruption.

Ginoza felt slightly agitated at the interruption but decided to play it coolly.

"Yes?"

"Welcome back."

It took him by surprise, as it brought him to face her.

"Hmph," he scoffed sarcastically. "It took you a while."

Akane giggled once more as he took a sip from the mug.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Notes**

**I hope I do Agatha Christie justice with this chapter. just saying after I just saw the adaptation of Murder at the Orient Express. When I saw that, I can't help but parallel the situation with what happened in S1. Weird, eh?**

**And by all mean, please tell you what you think if you're not too busy.**

This was a memory he had not so long ago.

At the time, the two of them were still in the process of learning how to cope with the losses. Ginoza at the time was wary of Akane's state of mind as she held a striking resemblance to Kougami's intuition. But at that time, he was still deeply affected by his father's death.

Up on the balcony he saw the desolate figure conversing in the silence, the high altitude brought forth wind as it billowed through the tiny figure. At first he thought nothing of it. Not until he first found out that a trail of smoke billowed from her hands. A striking resemblance to the ghost's figure in the after effects of Sasayama's death.

"Tsunemori," he called out.

She flinched at the sound of his voice and turned around.

In his view as he approached her, she held a cigarette between her two delicate fingers as the embers glowed and burned itself to smouldering ashes.

"Ginoza-san?"

He opened his mouth to speak, only to have it shut at the sight of the familiar light blue pack in her other hand.

"H-how are you holding up?"

He brushed the question under the rug as he realized what it was that she had been doing.

At the time, the two of them hadn't had a proper conversation for a while since they had their hands full with the load of work they had to do.

"I'm still getting the hang of it," she answered.

"I see."

He walked towards the railings by her side, leaning against the barrier of glass and gazed out into the open cityscape.

A silence followed them briefly, bringing him to make a side glance as he debated whether or not she would take a drag out of the cigarette between her fingers. The scent of the familiar brand she bought waft its way to his nose, bringing him to cough out the scent at that moment of inhaling it. Despite having to spend time with Kougami in the past, Ginoza could never get used to the scent of smoke.

"Ah, sorry," she said, extinguishing the embers with a tobacco pouch.

"When did you start smoking?"

"Eh?"

Akane looked up, flustered at the question.

"Ah, this?" she raised the pack a little. "A little over a month ago."

He nodded at her words as he tugged the tan trench-coat tighter around his back. He then took note of the dark circles under her eyes.

"I understand that you're under a lot of pressure, having to deal with everything by yourself," he said. "But I'd advise that you should take care of yourself a little better. The last thing I'd want to see is an inspector who would die out of overwork."

"Mm," she nodded.

"Tsunemori," his voice tightened to his old reprimanding self. "We were lucky in the last case because the criminal happened to have miscalculated the number of rounds in the barrel.* But really, inspectors are supposed to monitor enforcers' actions, not the other way around."

"But even so," she said. "I can't sit idly by and do nothing. I can't stand the thought of losing any more people due to my powerlessness, let alone having to make such a terrible mistake."

He tightened his lips into a thin line, understanding who was that she was referring to.

"That wasn't your fault. Every enforcer knows that's how they'll meet their end," Ginoza tugged at the fabric of his sleeve. "We're just cannon fodder to the system."

_I too, will one day die like that on the field._

"…Enforcers and latent criminals," Akane said in reverence. "They're human beings too."

She chuckled sadly as she continued.

"Maybe even more human than those who of us who can't be judged by Sybil. Latent criminals; even at some point in their lives, they had a future that they had looked forward to even without the system telling them what's best for them. The hopes and dreams that they had clung onto, they were able to make a choice."

Ginoza couldn't say a word, as he didn't share the same views as she did. The pattern of the latent criminals he dealt with in the past all shared similar tendencies. All of them had deviated from the system. All of them disagreed with the choices that Sybil provides them. All of them believed that what they were doing or what they had planned to do was justifiable. Growing up being treated like an outsider due to his father's latent criminal status, Ginoza was hot-wired to believe that all latent criminals are capable of harm and that the system had been protecting society from people like them.

"So you're saying that what makes us human is the freedom of choice," Ginoza finally said. "Tsunemori, I don't know where you got that notion from, but last I recalled, when freedom is given to those who are capable of abusing it, they would inevitably bring havoc. Isn't that what the Sybil system is for?"

"I think that everyone is capable to losing their way," she said in forlorn, "Everyone, including me, is capable of committing crime. It's just that those of us just decided not to make that choice. Ginoza-san, you never once committed a crime in your life, neither did Masaoka, or Kagari or even Kunizuka. All of you were capable but not once have either of you made that decision. Makishima on the other hand was given that freedom, and he chose to do the things that he did. Making a quick judgement to define the line between those who are capable and those who aren't… what difference is there between Sybil's judgement and a man's judgement when he sees the crime taking place while the criminal managed to escape?"

Ginoza took her words into account and knew who it was she was referring to. It reminded him of one of his father's books that he had encountered a long time ago.

_"__Society had condemned him. We were only carrying out the sentence." _He muttered.

"Huh?"

"Agatha Christie," Ginoza said. "It was a quote from one of her books. '_Murder at the Orient Express'._ I think it was called._"_

"I've never heard of it," she admitted.

"I'm not surprised. The novel wasn't available to the system, only in rare paperbacks. The story talks of a detective who boarded a train and encountered a fellow passenger who had murdered many in his past. The criminal managed to get away with his crimes as he bribed these judges for every charge that was laid against him."

Akane nodded as she listened silently for him to continue.

"One night on the train, the criminal was murdered and killed by 12 people who were all connected to each of the man's victims. All 12 of them believed that what they did was right and just as they considered themselves good and virtuous people. They believed that justice was not carried out within the boundaries of the law and decided to take law into their own hands. In the end, the detective, having found out that these 12 had killed a murderer, he let them go."

"He let them go?" she asked.

He nodded.

She shifted in her stance as the embers slowly encroaching the stick to the end.

"Ginoza-san, why are you telling me this story?"

"Tsunemori," he sighed, "I know that had the Sybil system judged Makishima as a criminal, many things could have been prevented. But it never did. The same way the law failed those 12. Where do you draw the line between who is guilty and who is innocent if the law had failed to protect its people?"

"…The law doesn't protect the people," she answered.

He raised his chin, surprised at her words.

"It's not the matter of right and wrong either," she said. "Murder is murder regardless of how justifiable the act is. Why the detective let these 12 passengers go; it's a decision he made because he must have known that taking a life while living freely is a heavier burden to those who call themselves 'good and virtuous' people. When someone takes a life, it's a burden that they will have to carry for the rest of their life."

"…Something like that," he slowly said unconsciously. "I can't really argue with it."

Akane said nothing to his words, but turned her head towards the towering buildings.

"Ginoza-san," she finally said. "Can I ask you a favor?"

"What is it?"

"In future, if there comes a time when I make a decision where I deviate from the mold, I want you to be the one to make that judgement and point the dominator at me."

"…Tsunemori…you…" he said slowly.

_Why would you ask me something like that?_

He made a long sigh.

"...I give up," he said. "Somehow I get the feeling that you won't back out once you've already decided on something."

She laughed.

"Ginoza-san, you make it sound like I'm a lost cause."

"I'm not exactly in the position to even judge inspectors. You shouldn't even be relying on an enforcer for the most part when it comes to making these decisions. You just do what you think is the best judgement when the time comes."

She nodded silently.

"I'll be honest though," he added. "Whatever decision you make, I'll be there to carry out the order. No matter how ridiculous it might be. However in exchange, please take care of yourself a little more."

_So that I won't lose any more people to the fray._

At the time, he never was aware of what it was that was building up between them. All that he knew for certain was the desire of not wanting to lose any more people around him.

This was a memory of the past not so long ago, as neither of them knew at the time what the future had in store for them.

* * *

"What about these?"

Akane pointed at the purple flowered plant.

"Asters," Ginoza answered.

"You really do know these things, don't you Ginoza?" she said as her eyes were fixed on the small petals. "You might have been qualified to be a gardener."

"As a matter of fact, one of the jobs I that I was qualified to apply for happened to be a horticultural designer."

She turned to him in surprise.

"Really?"

"It's just a hobby, though. I never considered it as a future career at the time." he said.

"It's still amazing nonetheless," she turned back to the collection of potted décor plants. "I can't take care of plants. The last time I took care of one, it died within the month."

He smiled silently at her remark. The hour had struck past 8:00 pm, with the two of them in Ginoza's quarters. Autumn has arrived at this point in time.

"Within the next month, both of us will be having a day off," Akane said. "Is there anything you have in mind?"

"It's not like there's a lot of things I can do even if I had a choice," he smirked.

"But you know," she walked towards the sofa adjacent to the seat where he was sitting. "I could send the application to allow you to leave for that day for as long as I'm around to watch over you."

He appreciated the thought, however…

"Isn't that already too much, though?" he asked. "I've troubled you enough having to do this every year on Dad's anniversary."

"Ginoza, its fine," she assured him. "I just want to spend some time with you, nothing more."

"Tsune… Akane-san," he corrected himself. "I know. And I appreciate it, more than you know. I'm just saying that having you do this for me alone… people will undoubtedly begin to suspect. The last thing I want is having to add one more burden on your shoulders."

"…Even if," she said slowly. "Even if it that's the case, I'm willing to take responsibility for it. I chose this, Ginoza. This is my decision alone."

He refused to think that was going to be the case.

"No," he spoke reverently. "The fact that you're doing this for me. Even though you say that it was your decision, I can't let you take all the consequences alone."

She chuckled a little.

"Ginoza you really are stubborn, insisting on carrying the burden."

"Says the stubborn inspector," he remarked.

A sneeze was heard from Dime's crib, followed by a whine.

The two of them turned their heads towards the source of the noise.

"Sorry," Akane lowered her voice, "Does Dime usually sleep at this hour?"

"Well, he is old after all," Ginoza said.

"While you were recuperating, Dime was really worried. He stayed up for long hours even passed midnight one time."

He faintly smiled with that knowledge in mind.

"I know. When I arrived he couldn't stop following me wherever I'm around."

Akane stood up from her seat and wandered towards the collection of books on the shelf on display. Her fingers running through the spine of the books until she stopped and paused at one of the books.

"What was the name of the author of that story you told me about years ago?" she asked. "I've forgotten."

"Which story?"

"…Something along the lines of a murder that took place on a train."

"Oh. Agatha Christie," he answered. "Why? Are you interested?"

"No, I just remembered what you told me. I tried looking through the online catalogues once, but I remembered you mentioning that the novel is no longer available online."

"I don't have the novel with me, I'm afraid," he said, "Although Dad only had two of Christie's novels. It should be there on one of the shelves."

She scanned through the shelves, tracing the titles with her fingers as she read each title.

"Akane," he suddenly spoke. "If you were in the detective's place; having to find out that good people like those 12 decided to take their sense of justice into their own hands… would you let them go like what the detective had done?"

She made a pondering look.

"It's simple really. I would make them answer to justice regardless of how justifiable their crimes are," she answered bluntly.

He raised his brow a little.

"Of course," he said, scoffing a little. "Only you would say something like that."

"Are you making fun of me?"

"No," he shook his head. "It's just…"

_If I told you I let Kougami go, what would you have said?_

"It's just a thought," he said.

She stared at him for a while and then resumed to the shelves with her back turned towards him. He couldn't help but sadly watch the unsuspecting figure who, after years of clinging onto the ghost of Kougami had decided to move forward from the past. If he brought up the topic, he couldn't help but wonder what she would do having to find him being the cause of Kougami's escape.

_This was for the best, _he convinced himself. _For all of our sake._

"Ah," she said triumphantly, "I found one of them."

"Which one is it?" he asked coolly.

_"__And Then There Were None," _she read the title aloud.

She slid the book off the shelf and returned to her seat, clutching the book in her hands.

"Ne, Ginoza," she beckoned, "would you like to read this together?"

"Huh?"

She patted the space next to her on the sofa, gesturing for him to join her.

"It'll be fun," she said.

He gave her a long stare, trying to fathom what she was asking of him. The eagerness in her eyes made him sigh in defeat.

"Okay, just this once."

He stood up, and sat on the space next to her. She shuffled closer to him, leaning against his right side while she linked her arm with his.

**Chapter End Notes**

***reference to the psycho pass radio drama finale**


	17. Chapter 17

Awakened by the alarm on her wrist-link, Akane stirred as she sat up, disorientated as her mind was in a blank state. The first thing she saw was the unfamiliar walls, telling her that she was neither in her bedroom, nor living room. The room was darkened dim, faintly lit by the glow of her wrist link; from there she found herself on a single-sized bed, in a small room, comparable to that of her old apartment.

_Where am I?_

She flipped the blankets away from her, finding herself in her work clothes as she wandered her way towards the door. With the door picking up the signal of her presence, it slid open, revealing to her of the familiar living area, dining and kitchen area divided by the spaces between them.

She turned to her side to the living area, seeing the familiar raven-haired enforcer asleep on the sofa.

Upon remembering the events of the night before she realized how rude it was for her to fall asleep as Ginoza read aloud word for word of the novel that she had urged for them to read together. Biting her lip, she strode towards the sleeping figure, only to take note of how his long figure had only just managed to fit his legs on the sofa. She looked at the time on the wall and realized that there was no need for her to rush to work, remembering that her shift begins in the afternoon.

By the time she stood before the sleeping man, she couldn't help but take note of his features, admiring the sight as it happened to be the third time she saw his sleeping figure. It was the first time she saw him wearing a shirt and a pair of tracks.

She sat on the space beside him on the sofa, watching his chest rise and fall. Akane felt the need to ask questions. One of them being how she managed to stagger her way to his bed with her unawares. But seeing him in a peaceful state, she hesitated to even lift a finger to his lean, defined figure.

The temptation to brush the fringes of his hair away from his face was racing in her mind, feeling as though she might be taking advantage of the situation. Her gaze fell to his ponytail behind his back, seeing dishevelled as he happened to be sleeping facing his head to the side.

Before she knew it, she reached for the elastic band that held the bundle of dark strands and gently (and carefully) pulled the hair-tie away from him. This earned her a sound from the sleeping enforcer. The steady rhythm of his breathing disrupted, bringing her to flinch and stand up quickly from the seat. Before long, he was already stirring himself awake, his vivid green eyes revealing itself under his opened eyelids.

"Tsune… Akane?" he groaned.

"Good morning," she said, hiding the tie behind her back with her hand.

"Mm," he sleepily nodded.

He shifted his position to sit up on the sofa, rubbing his eyes with the back of his flesh hand.

"Sorry," she began. "I didn't mean to fall asleep in the middle of it."

He lifted his eyes to her, a small chuckle escaped his lips.

"You really put me in a difficult position," he said, his throat sounding dry and croaked a little. "I tried waking you up, but you were already out of it. I had no choice but to carry you there."

"Ah…"

She reddened.

Upon hearing that, she felt a slight burden of guilt, at the same time she wished she had been awake to have seen it happen.

"Don't worry," he quickly added, "I promise I didn't do anything other than that."

"I know," she said, smiling. "I trust you."

She stretched out her hand and grabbed his right hand, placing the hair tie onto his warm palm with her other hand. The senior inspector then leaned over to kiss him.

The whole thing still felt new to her, but each time she planted her lips onto his own she was getting better each time. Each time she did so, the need to prolong it tugged at her gut.

So it came to no surprise that he in turn would respond by setting the elastic aside and have his fingers running through her scalp. She pressed further on, bringing him to hold her by the waist.

Since they had begun this relationship, the events that played out on the Makishima case had appeared less and less in her dreams. At times when she lit the brand of cigarettes, a little tug of guilt would play at her heart; aware of the implications or misunderstanding that she might not have gotten over Kougami's sharp intuition that helped her through the years. After they began this relationship, neither of them spoke of the ghost between them. But she knew that at some point she needed to clarify with Ginoza that he might have been misunderstanding a few things.

Before long Ginoza then held her against his figure and somehow managed to end up having her lying on her back against the cushions while he hovered over her figure, breaking the connection to look down upon her face. Her heart thrummed in her chest, being made aware of their position. The mood shifted to a nervous silence between the two, aware of the choices they could make to pursue any further than this. With their eyes locked onto each other, an aching need of wanting to do more had begun to fill inside her heart.

Ginoza leaned over at first, but then flinched when she had begun to breathe heavily in her nervousness. He removed himself away from her, sitting up and grabbed the hair tie that had been adjacent to him.

"Ginoza…?"

"You might need to go home soon," he said as he tied back the length of his hair with the elastic. "I'll make breakfast before you leave. Is there anything you want?"

She blinked at the sudden shift.

"…No, nothing in particular," she said slowly, her mind filled with numerous thoughts as to why he stopped right then and there.

"Okay," he nodded, not turning his head to face her. "Just stay put, I'll let you know when it's ready."

He stood up and walked towards the dining/kitchen area, leaving her alone. Sounds of clacking of utensils and pans echoed from where he was as she was overwhelmed by the embarrassment of wanting more than kissing and cuddling with him in his arms. She took a deep breath and sighed. Akane didn't want to remain sitting in waiting and decided to walk towards the enforcer.

"Akane?" he asked, still not looking towards her direction. "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine," she leaned against one of the dining chairs, "There's nothing for you to worry about."

_What made you stop?_

She wanted to ask him so many questions. Her wanting to continue to remain in his embrace made her feel selfish yet, slightly ashamed of her lack of restraint.

"I'm sorry," he said out of the blue. "I must have scared you there."

"Ginoza, its fine," she insisted.

He turned around, his face morbid with a sense of guilt in his eyes. The look in his eyes sent a sharp pain in her heart. Tugging out a sense of need of wanting to console him.

She approached him wordlessly, laying a hand onto his arm.

"You've done nothing wrong," she said.

He didn't say a word.

"You've done nothing wrong, Ginoza," she repeated.

"Akane," he said slowly.

He gently removed her hand from him, letting it hang on her side.

The simple gesture of it made her upset, but before she could voice out her feelings, he then continued;

"Sometimes I wish you could put up a little bit more resistance."

"Ginoza?"

_Where are you getting at? _She pondered at the implication.

"Akane, aren't you aware of what latent criminals are capable of?"

With those words, she frowned as she knew where this conversation was heading.

"Ginoza, you're not like that," she said.

"Akane."

"I know that you aren't like that at all," she insisted.

"Akane."

"Didn't I say that if it's you, I don't mind it at all?"

"Akane please!" his voice hardened.

She jerked.

He lowered his chin, turning his head away from her.

"Please, don't make things harder than it already is," he sighed.

Her chest ached, her vision blurred. She blinked back the tears before they had a chance to fall.

The last thing she wanted was to show him her tears.

Akane walked away from his side and hastened her way to the steps. She stopped midway, half-expecting him to follow her, only to find him still standing meters away from her; his back facing her direction.

"Excuse me," she said coldly as she exited his quarters.

* * *

"Tonight, Sugo-san and Hinakawa-kun will be working with me. Kunizuka-san and Ginoza-san with be designated to Shimotsuki-san."

After the decision was made, unquestioningly they carried out the order. Akane had to make that choice, seeing how the situation didn't demand their front-liners to charge into a dangerous situation.

Normally, she would have taken Ginoza by her side out of habit in the past few months. At this point, it was just a few days since they've last spoken to each other, unable to take a step forward as neither of them didn't know how to bring up the subject.

She wanted to know why he acted the way he did, but hesitated to bring up the matter; refusing to let him see her tears. He too was stubborn in his own way, never speaking unless it was a case involved.

With that in mind she instinctively set him aside with Shimotsuki. With their relationship strained to a fault, the last thing she wanted was having to deal with the awkward tension that had built itself up. At the very least, she understood that regardless of how Ginoza had merely tolerated the junior officer's spite, he would nonetheless co-operate with the situation.

There was also another reason for it. Being made aware of Hinakawa's growth gave Akane an idea of having him work with her, allowing him to gain more confidence when they are out in the field.

The case demanded another latent criminal on the loose. It was apparent that he managed to escape the isolation facility with the help of one of the nurses of the building. Upon knowing this, she decided that this was a case of a manhunt seeing how both the latent criminal and the nurse had no knowledge or experience that could pose a dangerous threat.

"Are you alright with that, Hinakawa-kun?" she asked. "I know this is all too sudden, making you work with me with this case."

"Um, it's okay," he stuttered. "I-I'm glad to be of help."

She gave him a curt nod.

"We'll spread out from here," she said to the two enforcers, "just remember to remain within the area of this vicinity. Are we clear?"

"Roger," Sugo answered.

"Roger," Hinakawa nodded.

The two enforcers split away from her to different directions.

Her eyes scanned the surroundings, senses heightened by the adrenalin in her system as she sought for any oddities in sight.

As they sought for the two fugitives, Sugo reported in through the intercoms;

"Inspector Tsunemori."

"Sugo-san, what is it?"

"I haven't found either of them, but I found fresh blood from where I'm standing. It looks like there's been signs of struggle or a fight here."

Akane looked up ahead and saw Sugo's silhouette from a long distance, standing at the corner of an entryway to a narrow alley.

"Have you checked whose blood it is?"

"I'm yet to scan it…"

"Sugo-san?"

"…Inspector, it appears that our runaway is severely injured."

"Alright," she said. "Has everyone got that? We have an update on our fugitive's status. One of them is injured so they're not far off from where we are. Keep your eyes peeled on the situation."

"Roger," everyone responded in unison.

"Sugo-san," Akane called out as she approached the enforcer. "Can you spot a blood trail from your end?"

"Yes," he answered.

By the time Akane caught up to him, he pointed to the crimson line that trailed ahead of them.

Judging by the narrowness of the alleyway, she figured that Sugo wouldn't be able to fit through it.

"Sugo-san, try finding another way around on the other side," she said.

"What about you?"

"I think I'll be able to fit through this narrow way. In the meantime, you and Hinakawa-kun will have to find another way."

She then flicked her wrist-link up and switched to the maps. She pointed out the available routes for him to go through the other side.

"Judging by the kind state our runaway is, I'd say we're looking at 2 kilometres in diameter from this street to the next block ahead of us."

She drew a circle around the perimeter on the maps.

"We may need to get a move on it," she added. "For all we know the trail might be served as a distraction for us to follow."

"Alright," he raised the Dominator to the height of his shoulders. "Be careful out there Inspector."

"You too," she nodded as she made her way through the narrow passage.

Surprised at how narrow the alleyway was, she had just managed to fit into the space as she struggled to get to the other side. With the enclosed space, she could faintly pick out the scent of smoke that lingered in her clothes; reminiscent of the presence she had encountered just less than two months ago. Her eyes followed the trail of blood, as she drew closer to the exit.

Upon exiting the narrow alleyway, she found the crimson-dotted line trailing up ahead of her. As she followed in pursuit, she found herself drawing closer to a beaten up garage door; the surface of the garage door dented and bent from the inside to a point of making it impossible for anyone to raise it up to allow an average adult to fit through the entrance.

"This is Shepard 1, Tsunemori speaking; it appears that our suspects are in this building at xx lane."

"Are you certain?" Ginoza's voice spoke through the intercoms.

"There are bloodied fingerprints marked by the bottom of the garage door," she explained. "We might need to find another way in."

She traced her fingers onto the largest dent on the garage door.

_Judging by the impact, we might be looking at someone with an enormous amount of strength._

Her eyes scanned her surroundings, looking at other possibilities for other escape routes that the two must have taken. She looked up, seeing how the building appeared to be in the process of being renovated.

Before long, Sugo ran his way to her side, with Hinakawa lagging behind him.

"Is this the building?"

Sugo pointed at the height of the old building.

She nodded, taking a few steps away from its entrance.

"Sugo-san," she began, her eyes fixed on the height of the building. "Remind me again; the fugitives, one male and one female, am I correct?"

"Yes," he nodded.

"The ward, do they allow latent criminals to keep themselves in shape by working out while they remain within the isolation facility?"

"They don't. Latent criminals aren't given the luxury to do activities that could potentially raise their crime coefficient. Not unless they don't pose a high risk to the community."

Her brows furrowed.

_Neither the runaway nor the nurse are capable of doing this much damage. The nurse is incapable, judging by her lifestyle and the nature of her work._

She then surveyed the area, judging from what she could see, it was a place that is almost inaccessible to the public eye. She sought for scanners in the area, but realized that there was only one or two from either ends of the road.

_Blind spots. _She concluded. Akane was more than certain that there would be people who would take advantage of that.

"We need to move," she said, her voice hardened in a state of urgency. "We have to get inside fast."

"Why?" Sugo asked.

"There's a high chance there's a third party involved," she quickly answered as she raised her wrist-link to contact Karanomori.

"Shion-san," she said. "I need you to do two things: could you check if this building is owned by a specific company or individual? And also, I need you to look into the blueprints of this building at this address. The two fugitives are in the building but at the moment, there's no other way inside."

"Just a moment," the analyst's said in delight. After a short pause, she continued; "Akane-chan, this building is private property of our runaway suspect. I'm surprised that the building is still functional until earlier this year despite his rights taken away from him.

"There should be another way in on the corner to your right," she continued, "Be careful, the building is still going through some renovations. The construction records shows that there has been numerous hazards that had been reported by the employees who worked there."

"Okay, got it. Thanks Shion-san."

Closing her holo screen she then directed the two enforcers to follow her lead. With Karanomori's help, they were able to find their way in, entering the building through a backdoor leading towards the garage area. She flashed a light within the space, only to find spots of blood that trailed to another door. This time however, under the spotlight, they found more evidence of a fight that took place within this space; seeing some of the equipment being thrown and knocked over on the ground. Bits and pieces of bolts, knobs and small shards of glass scattered on the ground.

"What happened here?" Sugo asked.

Akane didn't respond and followed the trail.

Going through a series of corridors and long stairwells, eventually they found themselves entering into an open room. The plaster walls were chipped away, a man-sized hole could be seen on the wall and some part of the floor; large enough to have an overlooking view of the city lights. She flashed her light across the room, only to find the bleeding runaway in the corner of the room.

She pointed the Dominator at the man just to see how damage he took from everything he had faced.

_"Crime coefficient 289. Target for enforcement action. Dominator set to Non-lethal paralyzer."_

She then lowered her weapon as she saw his immobilized state.

"Horigome Akira-san," Akane announced as she approached the limp figure. "You're under arrest."

"Why?" the man huffed. "Why won't you shoot me?"

Akane didn't respond.

"A man like me, no matter how old I get; no matter how many times I fail; somehow every last one of you manage to make me suffer, making me live through this hellish dream. So why won't you do me a favor and kill me? It would be a benefit to you all rather than keeping me alive."

"Where is your accomplice?" she asked.

"Ha," he scoffed, coughing as he did so. "Even till the very end, our efforts would still be in vain. She's long gone. Let her go, I'm the one you want."

The senior inspector frowned.

"Inspector," Sugo began, pointing the Dominator at the man, "his crime coefficient… it's lowering down."

Akane glanced at the enforcer. Hinakawa then raised his Dominator.

"T-this-?" the young man stuttered after he scanned the injured man.

"What the hell are you waiting for?" the fugitive barked. "Just shoot already!"

The sound of clashing echoed from the stairwell. The senior inspector flinched, taking her eyes off the man for second and turned towards the entrance.

"Damn," the injured man muttered.

She gave him a piercing glare.

"Who else is in this building?" she demanded.

"No one of your concern," the man spat. "Just shoot me already before it's too late."

"Too late for what?"

"Inspector-!"

Without her realizing it, a shadowed figure pushed her aside, sending her to tumble towards the crumbling edge of the building.

"What the hell are you doing?!" the fugitive barked, though not directed at her.

The shadowed figure stood tall. From where she laid, Akane saw a figure clad in black clothing, wearing a hood and pants.

Sugo pointed his dominator at the figure, his eyes glowed blue as he pointed the weapon at the figure. Swiftly, the shadow picked up the inspector before she could pick herself up and raised her small figure onto the mouth of the gaping hole.

"Go ahead!" the shadow goaded, "Shoot me! And I'll drop this woman!"

Immediately Akane swung her slight figure to kick the shadow man by the knee cap, causing him to bend his limb; allowing her to reach for the one of the iron bars that stuck out of the crumbling concrete.

"You bitch!"

The shadow man, who managed to have a tight grip on the collar of her jacket, threw her across the floor.

"Inspector Tsunemori!" Sugo ran towards the fallen inspector.

"What the hell are you doing?!" the fugitive screamed at the shadowed figure. "Leave now or else you'll be-!"

Hinakawa's dominator switched to the lethal eliminator mode, and fired straight at the shadow man. Seconds later, the man's body exploded into lumps of flesh.

As Sugo tried to help Akane up, she couldn't hide her astonishment towards the end result.

The fugitive gaped at the sight, trembling as he attempted to stand.

"Don't move!"

Kunizuka and Ginoza entered the scene, pointing their dominators at the man. Shimotsuki was paces away from the two of them.

"Heh," the fugitive scoffed, despite how shaken he was. "Of course it'll end like this."

Without a sign of hesitation, Ginoza pulled the trigger.

* * *

A can dropped into the vending machine's take out port.

Akane was sitting on the bench across the vending machine as Ginoza bent down to collect his purchase.

In the end the fugitive was taken into custody, alive but was treated in the medical ward of the MWSB tower and kept under surveillance. Akane had looked into the man's records, as it appeared that it was not the first time he's ever been set free from the isolation ward. In his younger years back in the days before Sybil laid the foundations into society, he was a notorious case as the man who had a fluctuating psycho pass. Appearing to have a habit of recovering below the average number within a span of days or at some cases, minutes. Due to his fluctuating psycho pass and crime coefficient, the decision was made to have him kept under the isolation ward, as it was apparent that his number wasn't even stable enough to be called criminally asymptomatic.

Settling onto a few spaces away from her, Ginoza handed over the cold can onto her lap.

"For the bruise," he gestured towards her knee.

"Thank you," she nodded, taking the can and pressed it against the darkened spot on her knee cap.

The silence between them was neither awkward nor blissful, as both of them were clearly bothered by the nature of the case.

"That man," she began. "He didn't want to live. He wanted to die by my own hands rather than fighting."

Ginoza didn't say a word.

"That building apparently used to house individuals with a cloudy psycho pass," she continued, "It was not until earlier this year the building was reported to be a psycho hazard... That man, he had the means to helping people... and yet, he would choose to die despite his own ambitions."

"...He must have had a lot of regrets," Ginoza spoke solemnly. "I can only assume that something must have happened to him which made him become the man that he is."

Hearing those words from him brought her to turn towards him, holding the hand that was adjacent to her. With those words, it made her forget the reason for the conflict between them, reminded of the reason why she chose him over the ghost who no longer with them.

His green eyes flecked towards the hand that rested on his own. Initially, he moved it away by a millimeter, but decided to allow his fingers to entwine them with hers.

"Akane," he said in a soft and low voice. "There's something I'd like to tell you."

"Mm," she nodded, who now grasped his hand tightly.

"I'll tell you later after you're done with your shift. Just drop by my place when you're done."

"Okay."


	18. Chapter 18

As common courtesy, he prepared some tea and biscuits to go well it. His thoughts running deep within the hour as he waited patiently.

A notification alerted him of the inspector's arrival, bringing him to climb up the steps and greeted her as he commanded to open the door.

As the door slid open, Ginoza was met with a mellow inspector.

"Please come in," he gestured, taking note of her expression.

"Mm," she nodded as she entered his quarters.

He sat on the two seater couch on the edge just as she settled onto the other side. An unconscious move having to sit at a well off distance between the two of them.

"Thank you for coming," he said solemnly. "I know that this might take a while, but is it alright if you listened to what I have to say?"

"Ginoza," Akane gave him a small smile. "Why are you being so formal with me? It's alright. I'm here, so please tell me what's wrong."

Her assurance was met with a nod as he began.

"I'm sorry about what happened a few days ago. Perhaps by now you must be sick of having to put up with someone as difficult as me."

"Ginoza, it's alright," she bluntly said. "I promise I won't get upset."

His lips made a little smile.

"Sorry. This whole thing, it's still very new to me."

"It's okay," she urged. "Take your time."

He took a deep breath.

"I was afraid," his voice was low and trembling as he admitted. "I was afraid that I would hurt you. I didn't mean to yell at you and make you upset. You know how society works, if you're a latent criminal, you're no longer a human being in their eyes. I know that you don't think like that. It's just that…"

"It's just that?" she parroted his words in anticipation.

"At that moment, I really wanted to have you," he continued, his clenched his hands, unable to face her as his eyes were fixed to his feet. "I wanted to make you mine… But when I saw you right then and there, I was immediately reminded of where this might lead us."

His voice trembled in his conviction, unaware that Akane had shuffled closer towards his side.

"What would have happened if a child were to be born from that?" he continued. "I understand that there are other methods, but, there's no guarantee of that it's a 100 percent reliable. I… If a child would be born from my own selfishness… A child of a latent criminal…"

"Ginoza."

"I would never be able to forgive myself; having you carry my sins after everything you've done for me."

Before he knew it, he felt her hands on the side of his face. He turned his head towards her and found her face in a close proximity to his own. Her lips brushed onto his lips and whispered;

"Nobuchika."

He felt his cheeks flush as her breath warmed his lips. The sound of his name from her own tongue was enough to slowly crumble the convictions in his heart. She pressed her lips onto his own, the sound of lips smacking and the unevenness of her breath tickled his ears.

"Thank you," she said in a hoarse whisper when they parted. "For always worrying about me."

"Akane," he felt his heart beating loudly in his chest.

"If that happens," she added. "I will give it all the love I could give."

He motioned himself backwards, taken aback by her words.

"What are you saying? You'll be carrying a child of a latent criminal," he insisted.

"That would be Ginoza's child I would be carrying!"

"Akane-"

"Nobuchika."

Her using his own name made it harder for him to hold himself back.

He's thought about it for a while since that day. Of all matters of consequences, the one thing he could never bring himself to forgive was bringing a child into the world and have it share the same fate as he did.

"When it does happen," she reached for his flesh hand and held onto it, interrupting his thoughts. "I don't want you to blame yourself."

"The child will suffer," he muttered.

"Nobuchika," she chuckled a little, "it hasn't even happened yet."

"I am talking about what _could_ happen, Akane," he placed a hand onto her shoulder. "I'm saying that it won't be enough having you carry everything by yourself, especially if I won't be there."

"And I'm saying that you should trust me a little more than that," she retorted. "Being made aware of the stakes, then half of it would be my responsibility."

Ginoza huffed, realizing that this whole conversation might not lead anywhere.

"…I know about it," she continued, her voice mellowed down to a reverent mood. "What happened to you while you were growing up. Masaoka-san told me about it."

His eyes widened, but before he could say anything, she pulled his hand and placed it onto her pulse point where the neck meets the shoulder.

"Whatever happens to us, I just want you to know that you are not alone in this," she added. "If it happens, then the best thing to do is face it together."

"Akane," he took a deep breath and sighed heavily. "What about your future? Your career. I can't let you throw all of that away for my sake. That's why I just feel that it's best if we-"

"That's not for you to decide," she interjected before he could say those painful words. "I chose this, Ginoza. It's only natural that I would have to take responsibility for the choices I make. So please, don't push me away if that's the only reason why you did that."

"…Why… did you choose me? Of all people in your life, why me?"

When the question rolled off his tongue, an unbearable silence followed.

Akane then let go of his hand and held his bionic one.

"This hand," she began, raising the heavy bionic hand. "Has saved me many times; protected me so many times whenever we were out on the field. The same arm that held me back on the night when I found my grandmother's…"

She swallowed hard and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. She then held his flesh hand.

"This hand saved me from the pain of knowing what it means to face these things alone," she continued. "This hand, the owner of this hand; that had gone through so much, who had done so much for me. I can't help but believe that for as long as you're there, with me, I'm able to face everything."

He couldn't comprehend the words. Ginoza didn't believe that he made a big impact on her life.

"You're overestimating me," he said lowly. "You must be mistaken. It sounds to me like you're referring to someone else."

"You give yourself little credit," she retorted. "And I didn't make a mistake. Ginoza's the only one who helped me through those trying times."

_Then what about Kougami?_

He didn't believe that he had done that for her. He felt since the very beginning, Kougami Shinya, not Ginoza Nobuchika had been the reason for her growth. Even as he held her back on the night of Kuwashima's arrest, he felt that it was Kougami's presence in those cigarettes that helped her through those trying times. The ghost had already made its mark on her.

"What about Kougami?" he asked. "Since the very beginning, you've been holding onto those cigarettes; latching onto his presence for years. Even the things you've done, you've relied on him even though he's no longer here with us."

She shook her head.

"Ginoza, I think you've misunderstood me," she explained. "What I had for Kougami-san… it was admiration, a mutual understanding. There wasn't anything deeper than that. I won't deny the possibility that it might have escalated any further than that, had it been the case if he never left. But even so, Ginoza, before I knew it, you were there. You always have been there; worrying about me, always fretting over me. Before I knew it, I was watching you, relying on you; trusting you to always watch my back. That's why I'm going to say it to you again: if it's you, Nobuchika, I wouldn't mind it at all."

It was unfathomable. Even as he tried to comprehend the words, he still couldn't believe it.

With his feeling hand, he placed it onto her pulse point, feeling her pulse throbbing under his fingers. The need for her was stronger than it was before. Upon hearing her words, just for a little bit, he felt like he could learn how to forgive himself for being the way he is.

He leaned forward and embraced her tightly like a child to a parent.

"I was hurt you know," she suddenly said, her arms wrapping around his back.

"Sorry."

"I was really upset when you left me in the dark like that; not telling me your thoughts."

Her voice quivered a little.

He in turn felt a sting on his eyes as small tears had fallen onto the fabric of her blazer.

"…I'm sorry that you have to keep putting up with a difficult person like me," he muttered.

"Ginoza's not that difficult," she chortled a little, as he felt her trembling in his arms.

He smiled as his hands caressed the back of her head.

"Of all people, you had to choose a latent criminal of all things," he softly said, kissing the nape of her neck.

She giggled as she continued to shiver in his arms.

"Of all people, you had to choose a very stubborn inspector," she countered his words as he felt her hand slowly let his hair loose, gently drawing the elastic away from the bundle of strands.

Ginoza couldn't ignore the little tremors he felt from her.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "You're trembling."

"I'm alright," she answered, taking a deep breath. "I just feel like I had to get that off my chest."

He reclined against the backrest, taking her with him and have her lean against his chest. As he combed her short locks with his fingers, she rested the palm of her hand onto his chest; tracing the defined muscles that was sculpted onto his body. He wondered if she could feel his chest pounding underneath the layer of fabric.

Akane then shifted in his arms and pressed the side of her face against his chest, took a deep breath, releasing it in the form of a sigh.

"What is it?" Ginoza asked.

"There's still so many things I don't know about you," she said. "Things like what you like, what you don't like; there's so much I don't know."

"Hmph, I could say the same with you."

"Eh?" she lifted her head to face him. "But everyone says that I'm easy to read."

"That's what I first thought," he admitted. "But there are moments where you just do the unexpected; it took me a while, but I realized that it was that side of you that made you different from everyone else."

Her cheeks tinted seconds after he said the words. He chuckled, thinking that she looked adorable when she's flustered.

"It was a compliment," he quickly added.

"I know," she said shyly, not long after she buried her face on his shirt.

_This side too, _he thought, looking down on the top of her head that had leaned against his dress shirt. Her hair ruffled in his view, bringing his hand to brush the strands to align them in order.

"Ginoza," he felt her voice vibrating against his chest as the sound was muffled by the fabric.

"Yes?"

"Could I sleep here for tonight?"

He stopped breathing for a split second, but then relaxed his shoulders as he smiled.

"In one condition," he smirked.

The small inspector looked up.

"Call me by my given name when we're alone."

She returned his smile with a wider grin.

"Nobuchika."

He then leaned over to kiss her once more.


	19. Chapter 19

Ginoza was woken up by the sound of sobbing. The very moment he opened his eyes he saw Akane next to him, sleeping on her side facing towards him; her breathing shallow as the tears streamed down her face. He cupped her cheeks with his hands, wiping her tears on her cheeks.

"Akane," he shook her by the shoulder. "Akane."

Her hazel brown eyes fluttered open, gasping lightly as she did so.

"…Gino…za?"

Her eyes met his for a brief moment and then turned to lay on her back.

"Akane," Ginoza shifted closer to her small figure, propping his elbow onto the bed for him to lean against it as he faced the woman before him. With his flesh hand he reached out to caress her cheek to let her face him.

"Is it that dream again?" he asked.

He then brushed the fringes of her hair away from her forehead, then drew small circles on it with his thumb. Akane said nothing at first, but then she sniffled as the tears began to well up on her eyes.

"Sorry," she whimpered, covering her eyes with the back of her arm, pushing his hand away. "It's nothing."

"Akane…"

"I'm sorry."

She clenched her hand as the tears continued to fall.

"It's okay, I understand."

"No…"

More streams glistened on her cheeks under the little light that glowed from the wrist-link.

"It's okay to cry, you know."

Despite her pushing his hand away, he managed to comb her hair with his fingers as he continued;

"It's alright. I'm not bothered at all."

With his strong arm, he gently held her wrist and slowly drew the arm away from her face, despite her silent protest.

"No." she shut her eyes.

The man before her then dipped his head down to kiss her by the closed eyelids, then drew her close against his chest with his right hand cupping the back of her head and his left hand on her back.

"Shhh," he hushed, as he kept combing her hair with his fingers. "I'm here, it's alright."

"Nobuchika…"

"It's okay," he assured her. "Just let it all out."

At his words came out a whimper from the woman in his arms as she tried to string the words.

"Shh," he held her closer to him, "It's okay. I don't mind at all."

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Don't be."

"Nobu–"

"I know," he said softly close to her ear. "I know."

She buried her head to his chest, wiping her tears on his shirt as she whimpered her cries against him. Ginoza closed his eyes, feeling slightly guilty thinking that she looked beautiful despite the fact the clear pain that she has in her heart. It brought him to hold her tighter against him as he ran his fingers through her scalp.

In moments like these he was glad, at the very least, that he wasn't the reason for her tears. At the same time, he was pained, knowing the reason behind the tears. One of them was her friend. Another was her Grandmother. He assumed to an extent, Kagari had played some part of it. And then there was Kougami.

Whenever she apologized, he knew it was the latter. He breathed in the scent of the feint smell of burnt tobacco and shampoo she uses as he kissed the top of her head. Her arms snaked around his waist as she shifted slightly in his embrace.

Although things had been cleared between them, Ginoza understood better than anyone else that the scars they received from events of that day* will forever remain. His pain of losing his father; her pain of her regret when she failed to prevent Kougami from committing his first crime. Each time the memory of the golden wheat field was relived, the losses they suffered brought out a need of solace in each other's presence.

When her tears subsided, in his arms he felt her breathing slowly evening itself out.

"Nobu…chika…" she finally said.

"Yes?"

"… Please. Hold me."

Her request brought him to roll them with her on her back and him on top. He loosened her arms around his waist to allow himself to see her face to face.

He pressed his lips onto her gently at first, only to have her deepen the connection. Parting his lips open, he allowed his tongue to slip into her lips to brush it against hers.

Moments like these, he would forget that this was the same woman who would charge in the heat of the moment when they go out on the field. The same woman who'd be able to protect herself against the criminals they face. The same woman who was true to justice and would confront the injustices of that laid out before her. The same woman who gave him hope that all is not lost in the world.

Nights like these, Ginoza saw a woman weary worn from the battle scars that she carried over the years. It was moments like these he felt the need to hold her into his arms, caress her in her sleep and kiss the chapped lips that he had come to love so much.

"I'm really sorry," she said again when they parted her lips.

"There's nothing to forgive," he whispered. "I know."

Her eyes glistened as the tears welled up again.

This time she embraced him tightly, kissing the pulse of his neck as he felt the tears fall onto his skin.

His heart thrummed in his chest as he felt her breasts pressing against him. He let his hands crawl under her shirt, nuzzling on her neck and hair.

"Nobuchika…"

"Akane."

For a while they held on to each other's embrace, warming each other with their own heat against the cold world they were living in.

* * *

When morning came, Akane woke up by the sound of a door sliding shut. Ginoza was nowhere in sight. She sat up and turned to the bedside table to slip on her wrist-link.

She was about to get off the bed until the door slid open and found Ginoza carrying two mugs on his two hands.

They didn't say a word, but he nodded with a smile for a greeting.

"Here," he passed a mug to her, "I can't brew coffee the same way you do, but I tried. No guarantees."

She chuckled a little as she accepted the ceramic cup with her two hands.

He then sat on the edge of the bed by her side, watching her as she tried a sip.

"It's good," she said, she then gulped down the beverage.

"I'm glad," he began drinking his share.

A moment of blissful silence followed as the two of them stared at each other's hands.

"…Sorry about that last night."

Ginoza shook his head at her words.

"No, its fine. Anyone would be upset if it meant reliving that day."

She lowered her head, a gut wrenching guilt gnawing on her back.

"Nobuchika," she began.

"Yes?"

She put the mug on the bedside table and reached for the sides of his face. She then kissed him, pressing her lips on his own deeply.

"I love you," she assured him.

The man then placed his cup next to hers, and kissed her forehead.

"I know."

* * *

It became an unspoken rule for them, for the sake of secrecy, that she would spend some nights in his quarters if ever the two of them were not too busy on their schedules. As the weeks pass, when the autumn leaves had burned brightly into their radiant splendour; their anticipated day-off was drawing closer by the day.

There were nights when they retire to their designated homes, a sense of loneliness would creep in; a sense of yearning for each other's presence would linger as they lay awake on their beds.

Akane had it all figured out what she wanted to do on their day-off. She watched the view of her terrace from her training room window; the city in full view. Although her house didn't have a balcony with a superior view compared to the tower, she felt that it would be nice to share this view with him.

Her thoughts lingered back to Ginoza, his patience towards her when it came down to Kougami at times gnawed at her back. What she said to him was not a lie. She truly believed that what happened between her and Kougami was something of the past. But what gnawed at her was the promise that Kougami had tasked for her to do.

_"The next time we meet, you'll be in a position to judge me."_

When they met again, there were things that could no longer be easily settled by just a span of two days' worth of conversation. Stumbling upon a war-torn, charismatic, rebel leader had shaken her senses, re-evaluating on what kind of man Kougami had become. Although much of his insights had stayed the same, what changed was her view of things after everything that she had encountered.

Kougami was special. He had a place in her life that couldn't be replaced. But the very nature of it was neither romantic nor was it a passing fancy. Someone incomparable. A deep sense of trust, someone of who was likened to a role model.

_But who's to say that anyone is replaceable in the first place._

No one could replace her Grandmother. Having Kaori as a close friend outside of the MWSB could never fill the gap that Yuki had left when she was killed. Kougami is Kougami. Even as Tougane tried to fill his shoes in an attempt to lure her to her downfall, he could never take his place. Even for Ginoza; Akane understood that no one could replace Masaoka or Aoyanagi.

Her willingness to move forward was there. But as the memories and her regrets returned in the form of dreams, it often left her unsettled. When it came, she felt the need of someone to hold onto. And each time it happened, the raven-haired inspector would be there.

Someone with that amount of patience towards every move she made was something that was both admirable and endearing. Someone like that deserved to be given so much more than what he's been given.

Two days before their anticipated day-off, she realized that there was a long list of reports that were yet to be filled. And so, in hopes of avoiding having to work on her day off, she forced herself to work overtime.

"Will you be alright?" Ginoza asked. "Do you need any help?"

"I'll be fine," she answered, her eyes focused on the task at hand. "Thank you for the offer though."

With the rest of the enforcers retiring to their respective quarters and Shimotsuki long gone from the office; once more the two of them were the only ones who remained.

Within the silence that followed, Akane continued writing up her reports as the hours passed. When she was halfway through the list of paperwork, in the corner of her eye she saw the office rooms adjacent to Division 1's office had their lights switched off one by one. A clear indication that she was well over the usual designated shifts.

She looked up and found him sitting on his desk, his hands nowhere near the keyboard tablet, his eyes focused on the screen before him.

The inspector figured out immediately that he had the intention of keeping her company while she was on overtime. She unconsciously curved her lips into a smile.

His clumsy way of showing his concern through the littlest of gestures; at times they came off as obvious and unsubtle when he tried to hide his true intensions.

For a while, she continued on with her work, but by the time it was already two hours left till midnight, Akane was beginning to be concerned as to how long he would be willing to stay to keep her company. She turned towards the enforcer, only to find him nodding off on his desk.

"Ginoza."

It appeared that sleep was slowly succumbing his consciousness.

She pushed her chair away from her desk and strode towards him.

"Ginoza," she shook him by the shoulder.

"Hmm?"

He lifted his head up, his vivid green eyes met with hers sleepily.

"Are you finished?" he asked, clearing his throat.

"No, but I'm done for the rest of the day."

"Oh… Thanks for the hard work."

"You too," she placed a hand onto his shoulder.

He turned his head towards the darkened hallway.

"Is already this late?" he mused, seeing how desolate the area had become.

While his eyes were fixed to the hallway, Akane assessed the raven-haired enforcer's features. The length of his long, thick, black hair; the defined jawline; the paled skin; the length of his eyelashes. In moments like these, she would often wonder why she never noticed these things until now.

"Nobuchika."

Her voice hushed to a soft volume.

He turned his head to face her, his brow lifted slightly upon meeting her gaze.

Ginoza took her hand off her shoulder, but instead of brushing it away, he never let go of it from his grip.

Within the silence of the night, she felt her heart thrumming loudly in her chest. In the glow that emanated from the screen, the contours of his figure were defined amidst the darkened backdrop.

She bent down to his level, drawing closer to his face until-

The sound of a cleaning drone suddenly rolled into view, startling the two of them.

In an almost synchronized response, she quickly straightened her posture just as he swiftly swivelled his chair away from her direction. Her heart palpitating in her ribcage, the temperature rising to her head.

Seconds later, the cleaning drone rolled into the Division 1 office for a briefly. Appearing as though it picked up the presence of the two of them, it backed itself up and rolled to the next office room.

As soon as it disappeared into view, the two of them made a long sigh of relief.

"That…" he shook his head as he pressed the bridge of his nose with his two fingers. "…Was too close."

"Sorry," she said, her face reddened as she seethed in her own embarrassment. "I forgot about that."

"I understand your eagerness, but please refrain from getting too carried away while we're in office."

"Sorry," she repeated. "I was confident that since it was this late, I thought it was safe."

He looked at her in clear disbelief briefly, only to chortle seconds later.

Recounting the scenario in itself brought her to laugh with him as she imagined how ridiculous they must have looked like in their silly attempt to pretend it never happened.

"That really was… too close," she gasped her words as she tried to contain her laughter.

When they finally settled down, he got up from his seat.

"How many more do you have left?"

"I'm only half-way through them," she answered, returning to her desk.

As she was wrapping up and packing her things, he walked to her side to see how much she had gone through.

"It's not too bad, is it?" he asked. "If you like, I could help you."

"I thought you said that inspectors shouldn't always rely on enforcers when doing this sort of thing," she deadpanned.

He paused briefly and hummed at the recollection.

"I've forgotten," he admitted.

"It'll be fine," she assured him, "I'll manage to finish this somehow."

Judging by the look in his eyes, she figured it wasn't enough to convince him. Knowing him, she knew that if she were to tell him she wanted to get everything out of the way in order to spend time with him, he would fret and fuss over it. Telling her that she should take care of herself more.

"Ginoza," she urged. "I'm going to be fine, I can handle it. So please, don't look like that."

He raised his hand in defeat, shaking his head with a smile.

"Okay, I got it," he said. "But promise me that you get some sleep as soon as you arrive home, alright?"

She nodded, as she slung her bag over her shoulder.

After switching the screens off, the two of them exited the office, with Ginoza having to escort her.

"Hopefully tomorrow, it'll end peacefully," she worded her thoughts aloud as the two walked down the hallway.

He smirked at her words as she continued.

"No cases to deal with, no criminals to hunt; just having to stay within the office and writing reports would be enough."

"Are you saying that because you don't want to add another report on the list?"

"Partly," she giggled.

They reached the elevator and pressed the down button.

"Is it really alright for you to take me out on our day-off?" he asked lowly.

"Didn't I say I was fine doing that?"

"I know," he said, "It's just that I still haven't had any ideas on where we can go on that day."

"That's okay. I've already figured out where we could go if nothing comes to mind."

"Oh? What do you have in mind?"

Her face was beaming at the question.

"It's a secret."

The enforcer raised a brow.

"Don't worry, it's not like we often have this opportunity to have our breaks on the same schedule," she said.

"Well, then. I'm looking forward to it."

The elevator bell rang, opening its doors. Upon entering the elevator shaft, a short silence followed.

"…Akane," he said softly.

She turned her head towards him.

"…I know that it's not necessarily the ideal place to go out, but. Is it alright if we stop by Dad's grave first?"

"I don't mind," she answered.

"I just wanted to let him know," he said hesitantly. "This thing, about us."

"Mm," she nodded. "Maybe he'll give us his blessing."

"Maybe."

The digits on the elevator counted down with each passing level. As they waited, Akane then leaned against his arm.

He stiffened a little at first, but then relaxed his shoulders. Akane then felt his arm slide to her back, his hand resting on her waist, bringing the side of her head to lean on the side of his torso. She looked up and saw his face blushed pink on his cheeks. Wordlessly she shifted closer to him, pressing her cheek and ear against his chest.

The steady beating of his heart pulsed in her ear, which brought her to close her eyes and bask in the peaceful warmth that emanated from him.

The elevator chimed. Seconds later the doors slide open, bringing the two of them apart. She wanted to remain by his side a little longer; but she knew couldn't bother him any further by crashing into his place every single time.

"Well then," she said, her eyes fixed on his own. "I'll be off."

Just as she was about to leave, his hand tugged her by the wrist and pulled her back. Moments later the elevator doors closed shut as she turned around to face him.

Just before she could take one good look at him, one arm engulfed her figure, his free hand held her chin as he leaned over to kiss her hungrily.

Akane gasped as she found it difficult to breath at the sudden contact. Breathlessly he shifted the angle of his lips, his hand grasping fistfuls of her hair.

She forced to break free of their exchange in a huff, holding him off at an arms' length.

"Why… so suddenly?" she asked, her ears ringing from the temperature that climbed up to her head.

"Because," the enforcer heaved his words. "You looked like you didn't want to leave."

She twitched at his words, being made aware of how obvious she appeared before him. With his mismatched hands he gently held her wrists. She couldn't bring herself to look at him as she felt her cheeks burning in the heat.

"I guess it can't be helped," he said.

"Huh?"

She raised her head to look at him.

"I'm sure Dime wouldn't mind having you stay the night."

"…I can't keep troubling you, having to crash in your place every so often."

"You haven't troubled me one bit, inspector."

"Are sure it's alright with you?"

He smirked.

"You're more than welcome to stay for as long as you like."

**Chapter End Notes**

***referring to the day Makishima was shot**


	20. Chapter 20

Ginoza leaned against the passenger seat window, propping his elbow at the window's ledge, his chin resting on his hand. He watched as the scenery of the cityscape passed him by, the MWSB tower disappearing from his view. He turned to his superior, her eyes fixed on the road; unfazed and focused on what lays ahead of them.

The bouquet of peace lilies and autumn roses lay on the back seat, rustling whenever they rode over a bump in the road. The peace lilies were grown by him, feeling a little proud with how they turned out. Moments earlier they took some them to the florist to arrange them into a presentable bouquet. The florist made a gleeful smile at the two of them as she trimmed some of the leaves and added the bright orange roses into the mix. He couldn't help but wonder about the meaning behind her actions.

"Will Dime be alright, leaving him alone for the whole afternoon?" Akane suddenly asked.

"Don't worry, Sugo offered to take care of him while I'm gone."

"I see."

In his view he saw her smiling profile, apparently satisfied upon hearing that.

"That's good," she added. "It might take some time till we head back."

Having to bring up the subject, he was in the mood to ask;

"So, where exactly are we going after this?"

She chuckled.

"You'll find out soon enough."

When they arrived, parking in the usual spot, they walked together side by side towards Masaoka's grave. She carried the bouquet in her arms, with Ginoza slowing down his steps to match her pace.

The autumn leaves were at its brightest colors, brilliantly burning in contrast to the grey gravestone pillars. Gold and red leaves danced in the air before they landed to the ground.

By the time they reached his father's grave, she knelt down and placed the bouquet of flowers before the gravestone.

"Should I leave you two alone?" she asked as she stood up.

"No," he took her hand and entwined them with their fingers. "I want you to stay."

He rehearsed the words in his thoughts that he had been meaning to say for a very long time.

Suddenly his nervous, old self resurfaced as he tried stringing the words.

Akane gave him a quizzical look.

"…"

In the end he couldn't utter the words. He was never good at these things after all. The hand that held hers began to sweat in his grip.

Sighing in defeat, he turned towards the grave and bent the knee, never letting go of her hand.

She took a step closer to his side.

"For a little while," he said softly, "I want you to stay here and listen."

Taking a deep breath, he eyed at the gravestone.

"Hi dad," he began. "We're back. How are things on your end? Tsunemori… no, Akane and I; we've started this relationship. So far Karanomori's the only one who knows about us, other than her, we haven't told anyone else. I just thought that you deserve to know."

His voice quivered a little in his nervousness as he released his grip on her hands and wiped the sweat from his palm onto the side of his jacket.

"I wanted to ask you Dad, for your blessing," he continued. "I know that this path can't guarantee a good future ahead of us… No one knows what the future has in store. But even so, I promise. I promise I'll take care of her. I'll make sure of it. With everything I could give."

He felt a pair of hazel eyes staring at him, racking his nerves as he tried to keep a calm front. He could feel the sweat building in his palm as he felt the temperature rise to his ears.

_I probably look like a nervous wreck, _he thought.

But he knew he had to say the words at some point.

"Akane."

Took a deep breath and released it.

"I know that I can't give you a wedding," he said, his eyes fixed on the gravestone. "But… if you're willing, would you have me? Despite it all?"

"…Nobuchika."

"Akane."

He looked up towards her, meeting her gaze.

She turned her head away, her cheeks glowing pink.

"I don't know what to say," she sheepishly answered.

"I don't really expect an answer," he quickly added. "I just wanted to let you know how I feel."

She made no response to his words.

He smiled in defeat, realizing that he had spoken too soon about popping the question.

"I know I said that I can't have you sacrificing your future for my sake," he said as he stood up. "But if there was ever a possibility, even if it's just a delusion, I want to be by your side regardless. But that's just how I feel. In the end, it's your right to say no."

"…No," she shook her head.

For a moment, a sharp pain throbbed in his chest.

"Since the beginning," she said quietly. "You've been there. You always have. I can't imagine what it would be like if you aren't there. That's why, I'll accept."

His eyes widened, unable to process the words that slipped into his ears.

"Really?"

"Really."

He hesitantly took a step closer and slowly wrapped his arms around her small figure. He gave a gentle squeeze around her shoulders, trying to contain the euphoria that was overflowing in his chest.

He somehow wondered, at some point what he had done in his past that deserved someone as beautiful as her in his arms. In the beginning, they never saw each other eye-to-eye. She had always looked forward whilst he had always looked to the past. Somewhere down the line they met halfway through the midst of the chaos.

And there they stood before each other, in each other's arms; clinging onto each other as the sound of dry leaves rolling against the gravel floor filled the air.

"Thank you," he buried his face on the crook of her neck as he whispered. "Thank you, Akane. For having me."

"Nobuchika," she clung onto him even tighter.

"I'll make you happy," he said. "With everything I could give."

"Mm," she nodded.

Amid the short silence that followed, he felt her shift in his arms.

"Were you nervous?" she asked as he sensed the smile in her words.

"Of course," he answered bluntly. "I still am."

She chortled.

She then loosened her arms, bringing him to let go of her.

"There's something I want to say to Masaoka-san," she said. "Is it that okay?"

He nodded with a smile.

She knelt down before the gravestone.

"Masaoka-san," she began. "Your son is still a worrywart as ever. Always thinking about everyone else before himself. Always being there, worrying about the littlest things. Somehow I wonder if he inherited it from you."

Ginoza couldn't help but marvel at how confident she was at saying these things without a blink of an eye.

"His dedication to his work has always been something I admired. Doing what it takes to get the job done. Having to always put up with my decisions, always carrying them out despite how ridiculous it sounded; things like that, I can't help but come to love him for it."

He wondered just who it is that she was referring to, with the way she described him.

She was always dedicated; carrying the weight on her shoulders with each passing year. Always considerate of how she treated enforcers. Always leveling with them with respect.

It was only after the Makishima incident did he mellow down. But even within that period, he had his difficult moments.

"That's why," she continued. "I promise you that I'll do everything I can to make him happy."

She shook her head.

"No," she corrected herself. "I will make him happy. I know I can't give him his freedom, but, I promise I will give him his happiness with everything I can give. I'll take care of him."

"Akane," he placed a hand on her shoulder.

Her hand immediately covered his own.

"Masaoka-san," she added. "I promise you your son is in good hands."

The small woman then stood up, never letting go of his hand as she did so.

"Dad," he said as released her hand and slide his arm around her waist. "I can't tell you how much I wish you were here right now. I don't know what you would say. Being a latent criminal was something that might have disappointed you greatly. But, with that knowledge, what would you have done? What would you have said, knowing the risks?"

"…I'm sure," she quietly said, "Masaoka-san would have wanted you to be happy, Nobuchika."

He smiled at her with a hint of sadness in his eyes. Letting go of her waist, he turned his heel to the direction of the exit.

"Shall we go?"

"Yes."

The two of them walked side by side in the silence as they approached the car park. Upon entering her vehicle, Ginoza noted the melancholic expression on her lips.

"What is it?" he asked.

"If they never left," she turned towards the window. "I wonder if things might have turned out differently."

He saw her hands fiddling with the tobacco pouch in her pocket.

"That's a troubling thing to think about," he said, his eyes fixated on her hands.

"Why troublesome?"

"A thought like that could only serve as a double-edged sword."

He closed the car door shut as he continued.

"If my father had lived, no one would really know if I remained as an inspector, maybe Inspector Shimotsuki would have been assigned to division 2 or 3. If Kagari survived and was with us, we might have been closer to the truth than what we had already known. If Aoyonagi lived, Sugo and Hinakawa wouldn't have joined our team."

Ginoza then reached for her fumbling hands, grasping her tiny fingers with his flesh hand.

"If Kougami had never left," he continued on. "I highly doubt that you would have gotten so far as to looking at me with those eyes."

She turned to face his direction.

"I guess… that is true," she said sheepishly.

"…Do you miss them?"

She nodded.

He eyed their hands as he noticed the corner of the tobacco pouch that stuck out in his view.

"I miss them too," he said, giving her hands a gently reassuring squeeze.

He returned his thoughts to the night when they found Tsunemori Aoi's ear. The amount they lost over the course of the years had truly brought them closer. Within that time frame Ginoza could only think of the ghost who could never come back and the remnants he left in smoldering ashes that lingered within the cigarettes.

He didn't want her to suffer any further than what she had already had gone through. He took it upon himself to always shoulder the burdens that she had carried regardless of how painful it could become. Kougami couldn't come back; that was what he had concluded. Somewhere down the line he had been watching her, always trying to assist her in every way he could.

_If we never lost so many people in their lives, just how close or how far would we have been compared to where we are now?_

He released her hands and settled onto his seat.

Upon releasing them, Akane laid her hands onto the steering wheel, starting the vehicle.

* * *

She drove them by the harbor, closer to the area nearby her residence. Since they had started their little excursion a little late in the morning, by the time she parked the car, it was already midday.

"What do you think?" she asked him, indicating towards the open view of the ocean waves. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Akane saw his jade eyes flicker to the scenery. Seconds later, his brows lit up slightly.

Satisfied with his expression, she unbuckled her seat-belt.

"Come," she urged him, opening the car door.

As soon as she took a step out of the vehicle, the cold ocean breezed billowed, bringing her to shudder. He too got out of the car and walked towards her side.

"The weather doesn't look too good today," he said, eyeing the grey sky. "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay," she answered, tugging the open ends of her jacket closed. "The forecast mentioned that in the afternoon, we'll be having clearer skies."

"It doesn't change the fact that it's colder by the sea," he sighed as he took his jacket off and placed it over her shoulders. "So where do we go from here?"

The feeling of warmth that emanated from the fabric that draped over her shoulders made her turn to him.

"What about you?" she asked him. "Won't you be cold?"

"I'll be fine," he said, "Just tell me where we are going from here."

The cold autumn air and the sea breeze that came with it brought the enforcer to draw closer to her. She smiled at the silent gesture and walked them down the docks. From where they were, they could see the tower, along with several buildings from the other side.

"If I had known that we would be walking, I could have taken Dime with us," he remarked.

"Sorry. Next time, I'll make sure to do that."

Golden beams shined upon the waves, refracting its light as the clouds slowly dispersed from the sky. An ethereal glow outlined the buildings from a distance, casting long shadows onto the ocean. The scenery brought them to a halt, as the two of them gazed at the sight.

"Is this what you wanted me to see?" he asked.

"Mm," she nodded. "There were better days compared to today, especially during the spring time. But since this was the only day I could show this, I thought–"

"Thank you," he interjected, holding her hand as his finger entwined with hers. "For giving me this opportunity."

She turned towards his face, staring at the profile that stared at the waves. His pale complexion bathed in sunlight; his long raven hair whipping at the sea breeze; his eyes that often held a mellow gaze were lit with awe and delight.

"Nobuchika."

She latched her arm onto his own, resting her head against the side of his shoulder.

"Is it alright if you do something with me?"

He raised a brow.

"What do you have in mind?"

She released his arm and rummaged through her pocket, pulling out a tobacco pouch, a lighter and the cigarette pack with only one cigarette left. He wore a puzzled look at the sight.

"Just this once," she said, "I just want you to light this for me."

Ginoza looked at her dubiously for a moment, but relaxed his features and gestured to have them sit down on a nearby bench.

_This will be the last time, _she thought. She vowed to be a great detective; someone who could stand on her own two feet.

When they settled onto the bench, she took out the cigarette from the pack and threw the pack into the waste bin adjacent to them. she handed him the lighter, with her holding the end of the stick.

The times when she relied on the ghost who lingered with each tobacco stick, she was forever grateful for the insights that she had gained from him; even though it was just an illusion.

Ginoza rolled the flint wheel and the rivet of the lighter, lighting a small flame from its wick.

The uncertainty of whether he were to come back into her life again remained. But she knew by then, it would take them another set of years.

She drew the other end of the cigarette over the flame, lighting up small embers as it burned. Ginoza then released the trigger to switch off the flame. The wind billowed, sending a trail of smoke to waft into the air. She placed the stick over the tobacco pouch, the ashes falling on the mouth of its pocket. The wind fanned the embers, encroaching the paper and tobacco till it almost reach the cigarette's filter.

The enforcer said nothing, but he kept his hand to a close proximity to her own, his eyes focused on the smoldering embers that burned brightly against the wind.

By the time there was nothing left of the tobacco, she extinguished its flame with the tobacco pouch, flicking its ashes onto the pocket. She then stood up and was about to tip the ashes into the bin, only to have the wind carry the ashes out of the pouch before it could reach the bottom of the waste bin.

The grey particles wafted and danced in the air, as the ocean breeze carried it into the direction of the open waves.

The sight of it caught her off-guard, but smiled as the grey cloud dispersed into nothingness.

_Thank you, Kougami. For everything._

She then stretched out her hand to Ginoza.

"Shall we go?"

He smiled as he took her hand.

No one knows what the future could bring. The uncertainty towards the unknown still remained. But she knew that as of this point, that for as long as they lived, they will forever strive towards a brighter future.

The End

**Chapter End Notes**

**You guys are amazing. I said this once and I will say it again:  
I LOVE YOU SO MUCH FOR BOTHERING TO FOLLOW ME TILL THE VERY END!  
This was a ride. And I tell you there was a lot of problems that came with it, but the feeling of having people looking forward to every chapter gave me the motivation and incentive to carry this over.**

**I can't believe I actually finished this. YAY!**

**PS. If there's anything you guys have in mind to the ending, let me know.**

**Toodles! **


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